SAMPA Newsletter – March 2020

Dear SAMPA Members,

The past few weeks have seen the markets tumble amidst the chaos caused by the increasing spread of Covid -19 the Coronavirus.

What exactly is a coronavirus?

“Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.  Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.”

 World Health Organization

For information on what to do in your workplace please refer to the Department of Health’s website www.health.gov.za  or the WHO website www.who.int where you will find updates on best practice to prevent the spread of Corona Virus as well as who to contact if you suspect a case of Covid-19 in your home or workplace.

The Department of Health Hotline number is 0800 029 999 – 8 – 4 pm – Mon – Fri.

SAMPA AGM

The annual general meeting of SAMPA will be held on the 18th March in Pretoria and is open to paid members only. Details from the AGM will be in next month’s newsletter. If you are a member of SAMPA and have not received an invitation to the AGM please contact Peter on 083 2553486 or peter@sampa.org.za

VC9100 and the NRCS

In November 2019 SAMPA met with the NRCS and lodged an objection to the levy proposal. In January we again approached the NRCS asking what progress had been made in considering our proposal and also asking for clarity on the inspection and audit process. We were finally granted a meeting with The CEO of the NRCS on 17th February at which we established the following:

• The NRCS are still in the process of recruiting inspectors
• The SAMPA levy proposal had not been taken forward to the DTI – SAMPA expressed its deep disappointment at this and asked that the CEO reconsider this decision. We are still awaiting a response.
• The NRCS has started surveillance meetings with vendors who had registered with them as is required by the VC. However, very few vendors had registered up until End Jan 2020.
• The NRCS agreed to conduct further industry workshops to engage with producers on the details surrounding the audit process – these dates have yet to be finalized and an audit checklist drawn up.
• The Minister had not yet proclaimed the levy amount in the Government Gazette and that until this had been done levies could not be charged and would not be retro charged either (as of the time of writing these levies have still not been published)
• Levies will be due from the date the Minister publishes the levy amount and vendors need to accrue from that date forward.

Regulation 1283 – Cooked Processed Meat – DAFF and AFSQ

• AFSQ has proactively engaged with stakeholders both retail and manufacturers since Dec 2019
• Meetings were held with stakeholders in Durban on the  25th Feb and Cape Town on 27th Feb at which inspection details, costs and test frequency has been shared by AFSQ
• A final meeting will be held in Pretoria on 25th March for the inland stakeholders, if you need details or wish to attend the Pretoria workshop please contact Nicole Bergh nicole.bergh@afsq.co.za or Tel 012 361 1937 ASAP.
• A reminder that R 1283 becomes effective from 4th April 2020 and inspections will begin from 1st April 2020.

• If you have missed these meeting please contact Nicole and she can send you a copy of the presentation.

Raw Processed Meat Draft regulation

As many members have butcheries or businesses that sell fresh processed meat (Burgers, Sausage, Mince etc.)  you need to read and consider the impacts that these new regulations may have on your business. They are posted on the SAMPA website www.sampa.org.za under the section titled Regulations.

Once signed by the Minister our information is they will be effective immediately.
This regulation will also be administered by AFSQ and testing costs will like R 1283 be borne by the producers/retailers on a user-pay basis.

Particular emphasis will be on labelling and composition of finished products.

SAMPA Membership

Many of you receiving this newsletter are not SAMPA members. It is only through a broad and representative member base that we can powerfully represent the producers’ best interests when engaging the regulators.

By joining SAMPA you ensure a strong member-driven organization that is truly able to say they speak on behalf on the industry.

For only R 5800 per annum for each 200 employees, you can be part of the SAMPA organization knowing that your interests are being championed at all times.

All you need to do is complete the application form and I will contact you regarding payment details for 2020.

Kind Regards,
Peter Gordon
CEO
SAMPA
Visit their website for more information and news