Summary
The South African Poultry Association has applied for anti-dumping duties on imported chicken from five countries, Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Poland, and Spain. The four EU member states accounted for around 95% of total EU frozen chicken and offal exports to South Africa in 2019-20. The hard reality facing South African poultry producers is that since 2012 the average price paid for imports of these products from the EU has fallen 24%, while prior to the introduction of Avian Influenza based phytosanitary restrictions in December 2016, import volumes more than doubled. Given the challenges posed by the under-reporting of the value of imports, false classification of imports and fraudulent declarations other policy measures such as minimum import price requirements may need to be considered. Additional measures may also be required on public health ground to improve handling practices and traceability in cases of food poisoning outbreaks. Read more “South Africa Poultry Producers Seek Further Anti-Dumping Duties”
Ghana’s Duty-Free Access to UK Market Restored
Summary
Following the signing of the Ghana-UK trade agreement in London on 2 March 2021 and the tabling of a statutory instrument on 4 March, duty free access will be restored for Ghanaian exports to the UK on 5 March 2021. This will avert the further imposition of UK import tariffs, which in the past 2 months have cost Fairtrade banana exporters over £177,000. It is unclear what long-term implications the recent hiatus in Ghana’s duty-free access will carry for the sourcing decisions of UK importers, a number of which in the past two months have looked elsewhere for supplies. Read more “Ghana’s Duty-Free Access to UK Market Restored”
EU Poultry Meat Exports to Sub Saharan Africa Prove Resilient Despite Overall Decline in EU Poultry Meat Exports and South Africa Trade Policy Initiatives
Summary
Despite a decline in overall EU poultry meat exports in 2020, exports to Ghana and the DRC two major export destinations increased. While exports to sub-Saharan Africa as a whole fell, due to the application of import control measures by the South African government, excluding trade with South Africa, EU poultry meat exports to sub-Saharan Africa grew overall. Looking at longer term trends to non-South African sub-Saharan African markets EU export volumes increased 70% between 2012 and 2020 while the average price of such imports fell 26.4%. In the sub-category of frozen chicken meat, the average price of imports from the EU fell 29% while volumes almost doubled. While the EC consistently argues the EU does not ‘dump’ poultry meat on sub-Saharan African market, the undeniable reality is that since 2012 average unit prices of EU poultry meat exports have fallen. Despite this reality, the EC continues to pursue a nominal policy which restricts the ability of governments, in African countries which are major recipients of EU poultry meat exports, to make use of the kind of quantitative controls on imports routinely used by the EU in its trade with major poultry meat exporters. Read more “EU Poultry Meat Exports to Sub Saharan Africa Prove Resilient Despite Overall Decline in EU Poultry Meat Exports and South Africa Trade Policy Initiatives”
Continued Disruption of African Dairy Markets Likely as Continued EU Export Growth Projected Amid Changing Pattern of Milk Powder Exports
Source
The EU is projected to continue to dominate the global trade in dairy products, with EU milk production growth slowing down but continuing. There is a growing trend towards increased EU exports of low priced ‘fat filled milk powders’, in the face of growing competition on milk powder markets from Latin American exporters. This is increasing the importance of negotiated EU tariff and non-tariff preferences on sub-Saharan African markets. There is growing concern over the devastating impact of increased ‘fat filled milk powder’ imports on local milk supply chains in West Africa. Maintaining the policy space for managed trade in milk powders would appear to be an essential part of sustainable strategies to promote the development of local milk production in the face of surging demand for dairy products in sub-Saharan Africa. Read more “Continued Disruption of African Dairy Markets Likely as Continued EU Export Growth Projected Amid Changing Pattern of Milk Powder Exports”
Future Caribbean Trade Relations with the UK: Summary of Areas of Concern
Summary
The new EU/UK rules of origin requirements for the cross-border movement of goods could prove disruptive of certain Caribbean rum, horticulture, sugar and potentially rice supply chains. At the business level this will require a rethinking of routes to markets. At the policy level it will require a sustained engagement to secure a right of automatic cumulation for all Caribbean products enjoying duty-free/quota-free access to both the EU and UK markets, when traded across an EU/UK border. Only such a policy innovation would remove the rules of origin complications which threatened to make commercially non-viable the current Caribbean exports which are routed via the EU to the UK market or via the UK to EU markets. Read more “Future Caribbean Trade Relations with the UK: Summary of Areas of Concern”
Two weeks after the Conclusion of Ghana UK Trade Negotiations UK Import Tariffs on Ghanaian Products Remain in Place
Summary
Two weeks after the conclusion of UK-Ghana trade agreement negotiations, Ghanaian exporters continue to face UK import tariffs. It took the UK government only two days to ensure duty-free access for Cameroonian exports following the conclusion of the negotiations at the end of December 2020. The restoration of Ghanaian duty-free access on a transitional basis, pending formal signing, would appear appropriate, particularly since this is allowed for in the formal provisions of the concluded agreement. It remains a mystery as to why the UK government has not taken all necessary steps to ensure Ghana’s duty-free access was immediately restored following the conclusion of the negotiation process. Read more “Two weeks after the Conclusion of Ghana UK Trade Negotiations UK Import Tariffs on Ghanaian Products Remain in Place”
EU Sugar Projections to 2030 Suggest Less Room on EU27 Market for ACP Sugar Exports
Summary
Expanding EU sugar production and contracting EU sugar consumption up to 2030 will see EU sugar imports decline (by -300,000 tonnes) and EU sugar exports expand (+700,000 tonnes) compared to 2020. This will increase competition for ACP sugar exports on the EU27 market, in a context where heightened health consciousness and active campaigning is seeing pressure to reduce ‘hidden sugars’ in food and drink products. Further pressures to move away from the use of cane sugar in high sugar content food and drink products will arise from the rules of origin agreed under the EU/UK trade agreement. ACP sugar exporters will need to better understand the market components their exports serve and how they will be impacted by evolving trends. The pressures on ACP sugar exporters could be eased by policy interventions designed to secure automatic cumulation under rules of origin where duty free/quota free access is enjoyed to both the EU and UK markets. Read more “EU Sugar Projections to 2030 Suggest Less Room on EU27 Market for ACP Sugar Exports”
East African Fresh Product Export Supply Chains Disrupted by Brexit Related Changes in Border Clearance Requirement
Summary
The impact of new EU/UK border clearance requirements on the costs faced by East African fresh produce exporters serving the UK market via the EU is becoming apparent. In some cases, this is severely impacting on export volumes destined for the UK market shipped along triangular supply chains. The dilemma is faced of whether to ship under customs supervision and face inspection delays at the UK border, or clear customs and SPS inspections in the EU and risk losing ‘originating’ status and hence facing MFN tariffs when entering the UK. This dilemma is faced by a multiplicity of East African exporters who use triangular supply chains. LDC based exporters are particularly disadvantaged, given the absence of clear structure for dialogue with the UK on resolving customs and trade facilitation issues. Read more “East African Fresh Product Export Supply Chains Disrupted by Brexit Related Changes in Border Clearance Requirement”
Ghana-UK Trade Deal Concluded but Import Tariffs Still Being Paid on Ghanaian Goods Entering the UK Market
Summary
While trade negotiations have now been finalised, duty-free access has still not been restored for Ghanaian exports to the UK. Ghanaian exporters continued to pay import tariffs on banana unloaded in the UK on 7th February 2021. Urgent action is required from the UK government to add Ghana to the list of countries subject to the ‘bridging mechanism’ applied to a range of other countries where trade negotiations have been completed, but agreements have not yet been signed. Read more “Ghana-UK Trade Deal Concluded but Import Tariffs Still Being Paid on Ghanaian Goods Entering the UK Market”
Banana Link Makes the Case for the Extension of Spanish Fair Producer Price Legislation to Pan-EU Banana Imports
Summary
Debates on proposed amendments to the Spanish 2013 Food Chain Law have highlighted how ‘fair pricing’ regulations need to be applied equally to domestic EU producers and 3rd country producers if competition between domestically produced and imported products is not to be distorted. Applying ‘fair price’ regulations to imported as well as domestically produced agricultural products would not only avoid distorting competition but would also provide scope for integrating ‘Green Deal’ sustainability objectives into both domestic and 3rd country supply chains serving the EU market. Read more “Banana Link Makes the Case for the Extension of Spanish Fair Producer Price Legislation to Pan-EU Banana Imports”