Saai, an organisation that represents the interests of family farmers, was successful with its urgent court application in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to allow for the export of birds to foreign markets.
“Saai launched this application because although level 4 regulations permit the export of all agricultural goods in terms of Section 22(1)(e), the relevant authorities still failed to issue the necessary permits and required certificates in order for bird farmers to export their birds,” says Francois Rossouw, CEO of Saai.
Saai was successful in obtaining a declaratory order on behalf of Schalk van Wyk, who farms with parrots in the Nigel area. “We hope this order paves the way for all other bird farmers and agricultural exporters to be able to continue with their operations unimpeded,” adds Rossouw.
This order is also important because although the country is heading for level 3, which allows for a lot more industries and governmental functions to operate, the government has warned that it could also move certain areas back to level 4 should it deem it necessary. This order would protect these farmers against arbitrary guidelines that inhibit their operational capacity.