Local ostrich farmers are closely watching trade discussions between South African authorities and their US counterparts as a looming 30% tariff on foreign imports threatens to disrupt a vital export market.

The tariff, introduced under the Trump administration, could be enforced from Friday (August 8, 2025) if no agreement is reached. For Texas’s leading cowboy boot makers, who source all their ostrich leather from Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, the stakes are high.

Oudtshoorn is recognized as the world’s ostrich capital, and the industry plays a major role in the Klein Karoo economy. In 2021, exports of ostrich meat, feathers, and leather were valued at R578.8 million.

France, the US, and Mexico have been top destinations for ostrich leather, while Hong Kong, China, and the UK lead in feather and meat imports.

Cape Karoo International (CKI), representing about 200 farmers, says the US accounts for roughly 20% of its leather sales, with luxury handbag makers in France and Italy also among its clients.

“In the United States, our leather is supplied to renowned cowboy boot manufacturers such as Justin Boot, Lucchese, and Anderson Bean”

Francois de Wet, Managing Director, Cape Karoo International

De Wet stressed that since the US has no domestic ostrich industry, American manufacturers depend entirely on South African leather. He believes this should exempt ostrich leather from the tariffs. While current stock levels are adequate, he warned that in the medium term, the 30% cost will have to be split across exporters, importers, manufacturers, retailers, and eventually consumers.

Absorbing the full tariff, he said, is impossible. Though no immediate job losses are expected, the impact on CKI could ripple through to farmers and farm workers.