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3.45. Some incentives aim to increase employment, encourage R&D, improve energy efficiency and energy saving, and facilitate the development of SMEs. (...)
The schemes include:
(...)
• Energy Efficiency Allowance (S12L) aims to encourage entities to improve their energy efficiency. Eligible taxpayers are entitled to a tax deduction of ZAR 0.95 per kilowatt hour or kilowatt hour equivalent of energy efficiency savings;
(...)

3.59. Over the review period, South Africa notified several new labelling requirements to the WTO TBT Committee. These related to:
(...)
• Goods and packages containing genetically modified organisms or ingredients or components; and
• Energy efficiency labelling of electrical and electronic apparatus.

3.68. The Genetically Modified Organisms Act, 1997 (Act No. 15 of 1997), as amended by Genetically Modified Organisms Act, 2006 (Act No. 23 of 2006), regulates the development and use of GMOs. There has been no amendment to the GMO Act since 2014.

3.69. Under the GMO Act, any activity with GMOs, including importation, exportation, transit, development, production, release, and distribution, is not allowed in South Africa without a permit. In 2022, South Africa published a list of GMO approved activities, where clearance and approval are granted for importation for use as food or feed. (...)

3.70. In 2021, South Africa made a public notice that the New Breeding Techniques (NBTs) and their products were going to be subject to the regulatory system and the risk assessment framework for GMOs (with revised application templates for contained use, trial release, commodity clearance, and general release). The NBTs provide new methods for genetic engineering and enable the production of a range of innovative products that are differentiated from those generated using early genetic engineering tools.

3.94. In 2016, South Africa released its Intellectual Property Consultative Framework, which lays out a two-phase approach to formulating a national policy on IP. It also established an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Intellectual Property (IMCIP) to provide a coordinated approach to IP policy formulation as well as consistency in South Africa's participation in multilateral IP forums.[143] The national Intellectual Property Policy of South Africa (IP Policy) aims to, inter alia, promote a holistic, balanced, and coordinated approach to IP and help the Government to transition South Africa from a natural resources-based to a knowledge-based economy.
[143] The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Intellectual Property brings together the ministries responsible for trade and industry;(...); and environmental affairs.

4.4. The fundamental challenges that agriculture faces are unfavourable production conditions in several regions caused by poor land quality, highly variable climatic conditions, and most importantly scarce water. (...)

4.7. In June 2019, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) was established from the merger of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR). A separate Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) was also formed. (...)

4.18. (...) The OECD considers that the level of price distortions is low and domestic prices align with world prices. Exceptions are sugar and wheat due to import tariffs. Most direct payments take the form of fuel tax refunds and investment subsidies provided to smallholder farmers.[187]
[187] OECD (2022) Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation 2022: Reforming Agricultural Policies for Climate Change Mitigation. Viewed at: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/agriculture-and-food/agricultural-policy-monitoring-and-evaluation-2022_7f4542bf-en.

4.22. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) is mandated to give effect to the right of citizens to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being, and to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations.[192] The main law governing the sector is the National Forest Act, 1998 (Act No. 84 of 1998).
[192] The DFFE was renamed on 1 April 2021, from the previous Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF). In June 2019, the DFFE was established by incorporating the forestry and fisheries functions from the previous Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries into the Department of Environmental Affairs.