The department of agriculture made the announcement this week, allowing for the resumption of imports from Brazil, with the exception of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which is reportedly the only area currently affected by an outbreak of avian flu.

According to sampa, the decision will help prevent significant shortages of mechanically deboned meat, a key ingredient in producing affordable protein products such as polony, viennas, russians, and corned meat.

SAMPA chairperson Gordon Nicoll says Brazil remains the primary source of mechanically deboned meat for SA.

“Before, we used to bring it from Europe and sometimes Thailand in smaller amounts, but mainly from Brazil and a small amount from Argentina. With all this bird flu going on around the world, most markets have been closed to us, and 95% of that meat comes from Brazil,” said Nicoll.

--ChannelAfrica--