(EngineeringNews) - The decision of UK retailers to switch to bulk wine imports rather than bottled wine is a “serious threat” to the South African wine industry, Department of Trade and Industry agroprocessing industrial development division chief Stephan Hanival said on Wednesday. “We are led to believe that the UK retailers would like to import wine from South Africa in bulk as it is slightly cheaper and allows them to bottle it themselves adding value to the UK economy. Currently, we believe that 300 to 700 South African jobs have been lost through bottling plants closing down, pointing to significant risks for the wine industry stemming from this approach,” he said.