Govt putting money before health in Agoa deal: expert
The SA Poultry Association has criticised an agreement reached to import poultry and other meats from the US, saying it puts financial gains before the health of South African citizens.
Government announced yesterday that it had resolved a dispute that saw the country temporarily stop participating in the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
The resolution means around 65 000 tons of poultry will continue to be imported from the US every year. The association's Kevin Lovell says this is a dark day for the meat industry.
"What the US wants to sell to South Africa is not products that are produced for South Africa but surpluses left over and waste that they don't want to eat or will not eat.
"They're a perfectly capable, highly specific economy that can produce the products that we as South Africans want but they've chosen not to do that and they've forced our government to accept their low standards. That's shocking," he said.
(File photo: Gallo Images)