South Africa has launched a sunset review of anti-dumping duties on frozen bone-in chicken imports from Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, just days before the existing duties are due to expire.
The International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) initiated the review on Friday after finding sufficient evidence that allowing the duties to lapse could lead to the continuation or recurrence of dumping and material injury to the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) poultry industry.
The existing duties are scheduled to expire on August 22. Under anti-dumping regulations, definitive duties generally terminate within five years unless a review determines that their expiry is likely to result in renewed or continued dumping and injury.
The South African Poultry Association (SAPA) lodged the application on behalf of the SACU industry, supported by information from producers, including Astral's County Fair, Festive and Goldi operations, Grain Field Chickens, Rainbow, Sovereign Foods and Supreme Poultry.
A dumping margin of 425.64% was determined for German imports as part of the application.
However, SARS recorded no imports of the affected product from Germany during the January-to-December 2025 dumping investigation period. TradeMap also recorded no direct German exports of the product to South Africa during this period.
German exports to Ghana were therefore used as the basis for determining the export price, while domestic German chicken leg prices reported to the European Commission were used to establish normal value.
The dumping margin for the Netherlands was determined at 32.48%, using official SARS import statistics to establish the export price.
A margin of 61.84% was determined for the UK. SARS recorded no imports of the affected product from the UK during the investigation period, resulting in TradeMap data being used to establish the export price. The margins form part of the evidence supporting the initiation of the investigation and do not represent new anti-dumping duties imposed by ITAC.
SAPA alleges that allowing the existing duties to expire would result in increased imports and declines in sales volumes, profits, capacity utilisation, output, productivity, investment and cash flow in the SACU poultry industry.
ITAC found prima facie evidence of the likelihood of continued or recurring dumping and material injury should the duties expire.
The investigation covers frozen bone-in chicken portions classified under tariff subheading 0207.14.9. The dumping investigation period runs from January 1 to December 31, 2025, while the injury investigation covers January 2023 to December 2025. Importers, exporters and other interested parties have been invited to participate in the investigation, with responses generally required within 30 days of the August 14 notice.
