South Africa opens doors to U.S. chicken imports-USTR

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - South Africa will end punitive duties on U.S. chicken and renew imports under an agreement reached by the two countries, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Friday. South Africa imposes "anti-dumping" duties of above 100 percent on certain chicken products and industry groups said removing those import barriers opened a market which had been closed for the last 15 years. "While both sides recognize it may take some time for the South African government to complete its regulatory process, both sides are committed to expedite processes and resume shipments of U.S. chicken as quickly as possible," USTR said in a joint statement with South African officials. U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, a Republican, and Chris Coons, a Democrat, who have been pushing for removal of duties, said final details should be thrashed out by the end of the month. That should clear the way for poultry shipments to the South African market before the end of 2015, they said, cheering exporters. "We look forward to working with our government and the South Africans on implementing this important agreement," the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council and the National Chicken Council said in a statement. One of the signature dishes of South Africa's poor townships is a stew called "walkie talkies," made from chicken heads and feet. These parts are not popular in the United States and U.S. exporters could easily undercut local producers without the duties. After a meeting in Paris, U.S. and South African officials had also agreed on actions to resolve issues relating to poultry, pork, and beef exports, USTR said. South Africans consume more chicken than people in any other African country. Local producers have struggled to keep up with rising demand.