Storm brewing for meat lovers in South Africa

The Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) have raised concerns about significant port delays due to troubles with meat import permits.

The Association said that this is leading to unnecessary costs for importers that consumers ultimately bear the brunt of, and is contributing to overall food inflation for these products.

AMIE has called for urgent action “to avoid further damage to the economy and food supply chain” – which is already seen to be taking place, with the subsequent establishment of a working technical committee by the Border Management Agency (BMA).

The meat value chain contributes significantly to South Africa’s agricultural sector and has a large impact on the country’s economy and Gross domestic product (GDP).

South Africa’s total meat imports reached R6.9 billion in 2023, reflecting a 5% increase from 2022 and meat exports were valued at over R5.6 billion, with a 12% average increase from 2022.

However, AMIE worries that this is set to be impacted because the process of issuing meat import removal permits used to take 48 hours, but is now taking 8 to 9 days.

In a statement on 9 October, AMIE said that this is “leading to unnecessary costs that consumers ultimately bear and are also contributing to overall food inflation.”

The Association said that this is due to revised requirements by the BMA (responsible for regulating trade and ensuring compliance at ports) introduced at the beginning of the year.

The new requirements include that veterinary inspectors must be present when the seal is broken on between 35%-45% of containers, prior to the requisite samples being taken by the authorities.

“The requirement is supposed to be based on a transparent risk assessment, using objective criteria but in practice, the measures are being applied unilaterally, without any indication given to importers on risk criteria being applied,” said the AMIE.

The Association said that as South Africa approaches the festive season —a crucial period for trade— the delays at major ports (especially Durban) are leading to unnecessary costs that consumers ultimately bear.

“Government regulations undoubtedly play a vital role in ensuring the food sector operates fairly and sustainably, while safeguarding public health, however, when implemented without the necessary capacity to handle the regulatory burden, these measures can have disastrous unintended consequences,” said Imameleng Mothebe, CEO of AMIE.

Mothebe said that implementing broad changes without enhancing inspection capacity or conducting a thorough risk assessment severely impacts trade and food security and believes that there is an absence of “clear and consistent policies or standards” across the country’s ports.

AMIE also highlighted coordination issues between the BMA and SAPS, leading to delays, rejected goods, and increased costs for importers, with some facing crippling fees.

The Association is calling for urgent intervention from the BMA by either increasing the capacity for inspections or reverting to the previous system until adequate resources are in place to handle the increased workload “to avoid further damage to the economy and food supply chain.”

“Trade must operate smoothly, especially during high-demand periods like the festive season. While we support health and safety measures for imported products, inconsistent standards and limited capacity at the BMA are hindering trade and burdening consumers,” said the AMIE.

BMA response

The Commissioner of the BMA, Dr Michael Masiapato said that in response, the agency met with AMIE on 10 October to address concerns around delays in meat import permits.

The BMA confirmed that at the beginning of the year, it implemented revised inspection protocols, which required inspectors to be present when seals on imported containers are broken.

“These measures were intended to ensure that only safe-guarded, genuine, high-quality products enter our markets,” said the BMA.

“The measures did not anticipate delays as the permit allows for each container to be inspected. As part of our mandate, these actions are based on risk assessments; however, we acknowledge the concerns raised by AMIE regarding the delays,” said Masiapato.

In the meeting, the BMA said that it pledged to continue targeted risk assessments and fast-track inspections across all ports to eliminate delays.

They added that their focus is to address bottlenecks and ensure adequate capacity for increased inspection demands while exploring ways to streamline processes without compromising security.

“Clear protocols will now be enforced to avoid unnecessary disruptions, such as the breaking of seals and sampling before inspections,” said the BMA.

“Our aim is to employ a collaborative approach, which is key to reducing delays and ensuring smooth operations at our ports,” added the agency.

Additionally, a working technical committee will be established to improve efficiency and alignment on trade matters.

“We take the concerns of AMIE seriously and will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to explore solutions and resolve all challenges raised,” said Masiapato.

“Our priority is to ensure the efficient flow of trade while safeguarding and upholding the integrity of our border management processes [and] through constructive dialogue and cooperation, we will continue to implement solutions that serve both the industry and the broader South African public,” he added.

The BMA said that it is committed to enhancing port capacity for the festive season, balancing trade facilitation and border security.

The AMIE CEO said that she was “encouraged by the Commissioner’s immediate response and the subsequent meeting,” and welcomes the establishment of the working committee.

“AMIE hopes that this process will work with urgency to unblock the delays at the ports, to facilitate smooth trade ahead of the festive season,” said Mothebe.

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