The anti-dumping action is about levelling the playing fields - not stifling competition
"Local poultry producers have never been afraid of competition," says Kevin Lovell, CEO of the South African Poultry Association (SAPA). "However, we have long maintained that dumping causes material harm to our industry and makes it impossible for our industry to compete on this basis. The anti-dumping action therefore has always been about levelling the playing fields - not stifling competition."
Lovell says that in its application to ITAC, SAPA has proved that a prima facie case exists that shows the local industry is suffering material injury from dumped poultry produced by EU member countries.
"It is therefore a relief that preliminary anti-dumping duties have been applied to imports from the Netherlands, Germany and the UK, although it remains a little puzzling why differing anti-dumping duties were applied against poultry from Germany and the Netherlands," he says. "We will be requesting clarity in this regard."
According to Lovell, the fact that poultry is imported from the EU duty-free as a result of trade agreements signed twenty years ago makes dumping from these countries even more difficult to understand.
"Clearly, we need to be able to compete on a quality and value proposition with poultry from the EU - even if it is free of duty," says Lovell. "We have no doubt that poultry importers will continue to look for cheap chicken, dumped or otherwise, and we will remain vigilant to ensure that international trade agreements are adhered to and our local industry does not suffer from a stacked deck."
