WILMINGTON, Del. – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Chicken Caucus, released the following statement after the Obama Administration announced that South Africa will open its poultry market to exports from American producers, like Delaware poultry farmers, that have faced unfair trade barriers there. 

“Our poultry farmers in Delaware create more than $4.6 billion in economic activity each year and account for about 70 percent of the First State's agricultural exports. But, we know there is great potential left untapped because our poultry farmers face unfair trade barriers in various countries across the globe,” Sen. Carper said. “For far too long, our farmers were locked out of South Africa’s poultry market – the largest and fastest growing on the African continent – because of unfair trade practices. Today’s announcement will help Delaware farmers break into that critical market, export more poultry to more customers and help grow our state’s economy. I applaud my colleague, Senator Coons, for his steadfast efforts in this fight to pry open this important emerging market and enable our farmers to compete on a level playing field in South Africa and across the globe.”

In June 2015, South Africa agreed to eliminate long-standing barriers to U.S. poultry, pork and beef imports. In October 2015, South Africa failed to meet a key deadline to resume imports of U.S. poultry. In November 2015, President Obama issued a 60-day notice of his intent to suspend AGOA benefits for South Africa's agricultural products if South Africa continued to fail to eliminate trade barriers to U.S. poultry, beef, and pork.