South Africa is opening new export markets, but meat producers say billions are being lost in existing ones

South Africa’s agricultural exports are growing and new overseas markets are opening up, but the country’s meat industry says bureaucratic delays are preventing producers from taking advantage of willing buyers in several key export destinations.

• South Africa’s meat industry says export delays are preventing producers from accessing willing buyers in key foreign markets.
• Industry estimates suggest the loss of the Qatar lamb market alone has cost producers about R1.5 billion since 2024.
• The concerns come despite strong agricultural export growth and government efforts to open new markets.
• Exporters warn prolonged delays could lead overseas buyers to switch permanently to competing suppliers.

The warning from industry groups shows a growing contradiction in Africa’s most industrialised economy- while government officials celebrate rising agricultural exports and fresh trade opportunities, exporters say unresolved approvals and certification delays are shutting them out of markets that are already prepared to buy South African meat.

According to the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE), the consequences are becoming increasingly costly.

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Industry estimates suggest producers have lost roughly $92.83 million (R1.5 billion) in potential sales since Qatar suspended imports of South African lamb in June 2024.

Exporters argue that demand remains strong, but that regulatory and administrative processes needed to restore access have not moved quickly enough.

Before the suspension, South Africa exported around 300 tonnes of lamb to Qatar every month, making the Gulf nation one of the industry’s most valuable premium markets.

Beyond Qatar.

Industry representatives say export opportunities involving Bahrain, Mauritius and Egypt have also faced delays linked to veterinary certification, market-access approvals and government-to-government processes.

The issue comes as South Africa records strong agricultural trade performance.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen recently highlighted continued export growth and efforts to diversify export destinations, with agricultural exports rising by double digits and helping support the country’s trade balance.

The government has also stepped up engagement with trading partners while working to contain foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks that have complicated livestock exports in recent years.

Yet exporters argue that securing market access is only part of the challenge.

Maintaining access and responding quickly to trading-partner requirements can be equally important in highly competitive global food markets, where buyers can easily switch suppliers when disruptions occur.

That concern is particularly relevant as countries across South America, Australia and New Zealand continue to compete aggressively for Middle Eastern and North African meat markets.

Industry leaders warn that every year of delay increases the risk that importers establish new supply relationships that could prove difficult to reverse.

The dispute ultimately raises a broader question for South Africa’s agricultural sector: whether the country can fully capitalise on rising global food demand if exporters are unable to access markets that are already open and commercially viable.

For producers, the cost is measured not only in lost export revenue but also in jobs, investment and long-term market share.