South Africans are beginning to feel the pinch as the cost of meat rises sharply—an alarming sign of a deepening supply crisis that threatens to put basic protein out of reach for many households. What began as isolated industry disruptions has escalated into a national concern, impacting supermarket shelves and family budgets alike. From beef to polony, the affordability of everyday meat products is under threat, with experts warning that food insecurity could soon worsen if decisive action is not taken.
Arnold Prinsloo, CEO of leading meat producer Eskort, has described the situation as a "perfect storm"—one that has formed from the convergence of three major disruptions: an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at Gauteng’s largest feedlot, a critical collapse in local poultry production, and a government-imposed ban on imports of mechanically deboned meat (MDM) from Brazil.
The first blow came with the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at the Karan Beef feedlot in Gauteng. As the largest red meat processor in the country, Karan Beef was forced to quarantine approximately 160,000 cattle, halting slaughter operations that typically process around 2,000 head daily. The outbreak has not only slashed local beef supply by an estimated 75% but has also triggered international bans on South African beef from major trading partners, including China, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. The government has since ordered over 900,000 vaccine doses in a bid to contain the spread of the disease, which is threatening herds across five provinces.
Simultaneously, the government imposed a ban on poultry imports from Brazil following confirmed outbreaks of avian influenza (H5N1) in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. This move disrupted the import of mechanically deboned meat (MDM), a critical component in the production of processed meats such as polony, viennas, and sausages. South Africa relies on roughly 19,000 tonnes of MDM monthly, 90% of which is sourced from Brazil. Local production, by contrast, can only meet a fraction of that demand. Without imports, Eskort and other producers have warned that as many as 400 million affordable meals per month could be lost, pushing protein-rich products out of reach for the country’s most vulnerable households.
To compound the crisis, Daybreak Foods—one of South Africa’s largest poultry producers—entered business rescue in April after being forced to cull 350,000 chicks due to feed shortages. This collapse has further diminished the availability of poultry on the market, placing even greater strain on meat supplies.
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