National Pork Producers Council look to get South African trade ban fully lifted.

February 13, 2018

1 Min Read
NPPC looks to expand trade with South Africa
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In the current business climate, U.S. pork producers welcome any market for product, whether it’s globally or domestically. One market that has seen strides as a U.S. pork trading partner is South Africa, as U.S. sales to the nation reached 946 metric tons during the first nine months of 2017. That’s a 200% increase from 2016, and that’s with partial ban still in place by South Africa.

South Africa restricts the import of pork from countries with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, though the World Health Organization has claimed that trade does not increase the risk of transmitting the disease. The nation also requires non-frozen pork imports to be tested for trichinae, though the parasite is not present in commercial pork.

Last week, the National Pork Producers Council submitted comments as part of the U.S. International Trade Commission’s investigation of U.S. trade with sub-Saharan Africa. Last November, following the receipt of a letter from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, USITC launched its investigation into expanding trade in the region. The investigation will examine opportunities for trade expansion between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa.

The NPPC supports lifting the trade restrictions imposed by South Africa, which would support the U.S. pork industry’s efforts to expand export markets throughout the region.

In the November letter, Lighthizer wrote: “As the Administration works to encourage fair and reciprocal trade with our African trading partners, it is important to have factual information on where we are succeeding in African markets, where we have the greatest prospects for increased trade and investment, and the factors that could impede that progress.”

The USITC is looking to deliver its final report to the USTR by April 30.

Source: National Pork Producers Council

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