South Africa's poultry industry's recovery trail and Animal Biosecurity Committee

In 2019, the South African government formulated a Master Plan to bolster the poultry industry, aimed at enhancing production and streamlining the supply chain, with an objective to lessen reliance on imports and stimulate localization. This strategy, adopted amidst complaints about competitive pressures from international sources like Brazil, the USA, and Europe, has experienced setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, escalated transport costs, and feed price fluctuations. Notwithstanding these hurdles, the industry's resilience, fueled by rising poultry meat demand due to increased costs in other protein sources, is anticipated to restore growth to pre-pandemic levels by 2022, propelled by the reopening of Africa's traditional poultry meat export markets.

To bolster industry resilience, the government established a Ministerial Task Team on Animal Biosecurity, tasked with devising practical strategies to address animal disease challenges, including Foot and Mouth Disease, African Swine Fever, and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. This initiative underscores the country's commitment to Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in preparing for the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021, focusing on collaborative efforts to tackle animal biosecurity issues and ensuring a holistic approach to animal and public health through a "One Health" framework.