JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s poultry industry is crying foul over cheap chicken imports from the United States.
It's taking government to court over what it calls unfair treatment harming local poultry producers.
The Poultry Association is taking the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition to court over concessions granted to US chicken imports.
The dispute centres on a 2015 trade agreement, which was part of efforts to secure South Africa’s participation in the AGOA deal.
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The deal gave local exporters duty-free access to the US market.
In return, South Africa allowed more than 72-thousand tonnes of frozen bone-in chicken from the US to enter the country each year without anti-dumping duties.
However, the industry argues the agreement no longer makes sense, especially after the US imposed tariffs on South African exports, reducing the benefits of AGOA.