British American Tobacco (BAT) threatened to close the company’s eighth largest cigarette plant if South Africa mandates uniform tobacco packaging, Bloomberg News reported.

A BAT spokesman cited by Bloomberg said eliminating branding via plain packs would threaten the viability of the legal tobacco industry and benefit the illicit market. A plain-pack draft bill is expected to be put out for public comment soon, Bloomberg said.
BAT’s manufacturing facility is situated south of Johannesburg in Heidelberg, Gauteng. The factory produces about 27 billion cigarettes annually, both for domestic consumption and export, according to the company website. The plant also processes cut rag for export.