A deal has been completed to restart exports of British poultry to South Africa, for the first time in eight years.
Defra has estimated the agreement will be worth up to £160m to the poultry sector over the next five years.
South Africa had banned imports of British poultry products in 2016 in response to outbreaks of avian flu.
But in the wake of the UK declaring it was free of the disease earlier this year, talks between the UK and South African government restarted, with food security minister Daniel Zeichner meeting South African counterparts last week to finalise the deal.
Lowering this type of trade barrier – a key priority for the new Labour government – marked “a significant step forward” for the sector, Defra said, and would benefit South African consumers “with access to high-quality and securely supplied poultry meat”.
“This deal not only opens new opportunities for UK poultry traders, but grants a new avenue through which to grow the UK economy,” Zeichner said. “We’re one step further on our journey to securing better trade deals for UK farmers, improving industry resilience and kickstarting our food exports.”
South Africa has historically been an important market for UK poultry, with exports worth over £37m to South Africa in 2016, Defra said.
The move was welcomed by British Poultry Council CEO Richard Griffiths, who hailed how the government and industry had “workedexport together to overcome technical trade barriers”.
“Unlocking access to what was once one of our biggest markets is incredibly exciting,” he added.
Defra said it would work closely with UK poultry producers and traders, as well as relevant industry bodies, to ensure the smooth export of their goods to South Africa. It follows the announcement of market access for beetroot exports to the US last week.
International Meat Trade Association CEO Katie Doherty said: “The reopening of South Africa for UK poultry meat exports is fantastic news for UK producers and exporters – prior to the ban, it was a vital market for UK exporters.
“It is testament to all the hard work by Defra’s market access team and the agricultural attachés and other officials who have supported this crucial work over many years, for which we are very grateful.”
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