Relief as red meat export ban is lifted

While the agriculture
minister Tina Joemat-
Pettersson has told journalists
ahead of her budget vote
speech to parliament that
the ban on SA red meat
exports has been lifted, the
export trade has not yet been
officially notified of the end
of the restrictions, according
to Craig Campbell, divisional
executive (operations) at
major perishable export
forwarders, Grindrod PCA.
But he expressed himself
“delighted” at the incipient
lifting of the ban, telling
FTW that a large number of
attractive foreign markets
for SA red meat would once
again be open for trade.
“A primary market for
us is Africa,” he added,
“with Gabon a very big
destination – along with
Nigeria, Zanzibar, Ethiopia
and Angola.”
Agriculture ministry
officials also said that African
states, including Botswana,
Namibia and Zambia, were
interested in purchasing the
meat products, which posed
“very limited” risk.
Campbell also pointed out
that Europe was once another
market area of considerable
intake for SA red meat, but
it had declined in recent
years. “We used to do quite
a lot of exports into the likes
of Switzerland three to four
years ago, he told FTW, “but
all the SA abattoirs did not
comply with the European
health regulations.” However,
it is still a good market using
abattoirs that do comply,
and Grindrod PCA is aiming
at reopening the export
destinations left in that
continent.
“We will also be
able to completely open
up our market in the
Middle East (Dubai and
Kuwait),” he added.
This market was initially
reopened two weeks ago,
after the State Veterinary
Service officially lifted the
quarantine it placed on Karan
Beef because it found no sign
of the foot and mouth disease
virus there.
All tests for the disease as
required by the International
Organisation for Animal
Health had been negative,
said Karan Beef veterinarian
Dr Dirk Verwoerd.
Karan Beef owns and
operates the largest feedlot
operation on the continent,
and is the main supplier for
Grindrod PCA’s export traffic
to the Middle East.
While SA has lifted
restrictions on red meat
exports, Joemat-Pettersson
stressed at her press
conference that the ban on
the movement of live animals
following the February
outbreak of the highly
contagious foot and mouth
disease in northern KwaZulu
Natal would remain in place.
The disease causes lesions
and crippling in cattle and
sheep but is not harmful to
humans.
But this lifting of the red
meat export ban is a relief for
SA beef farmers as well as
export agents, as the outbreak
held serious financial
implications for the livestock
industry, Agri SA said.
“It has also exposed
various shortcomings in the
veterinary infrastructure and
service delivery,” Agri SA
president Johannes Möller
said in a statement.