Poultry lobby hits back at govt 'hostility' but will cooperate with probe

SA's top poultry organisation says it plans to cooperate fully with a Competition Commission inquiry into the industry, but it has questioned the probe's necessity, as well as some of the assumptions made by the antitrust watchdog.

The South African Poultry Association (SAPA) said on Monday on it will now look to ensure that the inquiry "does no further harm to this strategic national industry."

Last week, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) published a notice of the probe and the draft terms of reference for the inquiry. The concerns raised include a market dominated by a few large players across the value chain, as well as an ongoing need for imports.