Chicken import rules and permits in Botswana

Botswana protects its poultry industry with strict import controls. Imports need a permit, permits are issued only when local supply falls short, and bird flu in South Africa closes the border.

The policy

Poultry imports into Botswana are permitted only when there is a domestic shortage. The rule exists to protect local producers, and it is the single biggest reason the industry has grown to self-sufficiency. It is also why Botswana chicken is more expensive than in neighbouring countries.

When permits are issued

Shortages typically occur around Easter and in the months before the end of the year, when demand peaks and day-old chick supply cannot keep up. In those windows the ministry may issue import permits. Early in 2026 the ministry reported five permit applications in the reporting period: three approved, sourced from Zambia, and two from South Africa declined because of avian influenza there.

Bird flu and the South African border

Whenever highly pathogenic avian influenza is confirmed in South Africa, Botswana bans imports of live poultry and poultry products from there, and cancels existing permits. This happened in 2017, 2021, 2022 and October 2023. Bans are sometimes relaxed to allow imports from approved influenza-free compartments with a permit, and cooked poultry has at times been allowed without one. Because so much of the region’s chicken and chicks come through South Africa, each outbreak tightens supply in Botswana.

How to apply

Import permits for live animals, animal products and feed are issued by the Department of Veterinary Services. Apply at your nearest District Veterinary Office with the relevant documents. The origin country must be free of notifiable diseases for the species, such as avian influenza or Newcastle disease for chicken. Imported feed must be labelled to standard and certified free of animal protein, antibiotics, anabolic hormones and thyrostatic substances.

Feed and parent stock

Import rules also shape the top of the chain. Parent stock is imported under permit, and broiler producers are required to source most of their feed locally, a rule the Competition and Consumer Authority flagged as a contributor to high feed costs. In Parliament in 2026 an MP called for an investigation into whether dominant integrated suppliers use import restrictions and seasonal chick shortages to gatekeep the market.