WASHINGTON, D.C. — The old saying “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” seems to apply among U.S. poultry producers toward South Africa agreeing once again to reopen its markets to American-raised fowl.

Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council, and Jim Sumner, president of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Export Council, applauded the news while pointing out nothing has yet been set in stone. There are still unresolved issues involving U.S. beef and pork that South African officials have vowed to work out prior to a end-of-the-year deadline.

“While this development is certainly positive, there is still work to be done and it is our opinion that this issue becomes resolved when U.S. chicken products are being enjoyed by South African consumers,” both said in a prepared statement released by their organizations.

It was revealed Nov. 17 that South Africa signed an agreement with the United States to resume importing 65,000 metric tons (more than 71,600 U.S. tons) of chicken each year after President Barack Obama – citing violations of the African Growth and Opportunity Act – vowed to impose sanctions on farm exports from that country if the ban was not lifted.

Key to the agreement was a veterinary protocol that allows imports only from states not affected by the avian influenza, in the event of another outbreak. The ban was imposed as a precaution to protect the health of South African residents and that country’s poultry producers from a disease that killed nearly 50 million U.S. chickens.

Close to 20 states experienced outbreaks earlier this year and late in 2014.

 Negotiating an appropriate trade protocol and health certificate that both secures market access for the United States and ensures safety for animal and human health was a challenging task for the veterinarians from both the U.S. and South Africa, officials said.

The agreement is viewed as critical for South Africa to help lower prices during a period of high demand for chicken. It remains the least expensive meat in South Africa and main source of protein for that country’s poor, but prices up by more than 10 percent over the past two years could go higher from  drought forcing up the price of chicken feed, officials said.

Obama on Nov. 5 also threatened to suspend South Africa’s right to export farm products to the United States duty-free unless it starts to bring down other barriers on chicken, beef and pork within 60 days. Among the complaints is that South Africa is allowed to export here duty-free while imposing high tariffs to keep out U.S. poultry products, and “unwarranted sanitary restrictions” for keeping out U.S. pork and beef.

The U.S. ag industry has speculated the restrictions by South Africa were excuses, perhaps, for wanting to protect its own food producers from competitive imports. In June, South Africa and the United States agreed on a framework to resume importing U.S chicken, but missed the Oct. 15 deadline for agreeing to new animal health and food safety rules for imports of U.S. poultry and meat.

Sidwell Medupe, a spokesman for South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry, told Reuters news service all outstanding issues will be finalized by Dec. 31. “We are on track to resolving the outstanding issues related to beef and pork. The chicken protocol shows we are moving in the right direction,” he said.