ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved import of live animals, meat and meat products, official sources told Business Recorder.
On August 12, 2020, Ministry of Commerce informed the meeting that in the backdrop of the outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) disease in 2001, import of live animals, ie, cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats, and meat and meat products was banned from the BSE infected countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Holland, Spain, Canada, Falkland. Similarly, import of poultry and poultry products from Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Africa, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Greece, Romania, and China. The ban came into effect in 2005 on account of spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in those countries.
The ban on the import of live animals and animal products from the said countries had continued, however, with periodic revisions based on new developments, ban on import of de-boned meat from European Union was relaxed in the year 2017. Such changes in the import regulations had become part of the Import Policy Order, 2016. With elimination of such infectious diseases, the erstwhile BSE infected countries had been approaching the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of National Food Security & Research to revise status of their countries in the Import Policy Order, 2016 in light of latest guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), an inter-governmental organization coordinating, supporting and promoting animal disease control.
Based on the revised and latest guidelines of the OIE regarding control of BSE and Avian Influenza diseases in animals, and the feedback received from the private sector, Ministry of National Food Security & Research had proposed amendments in paragraph 5A (iii) and 5A (iv) of the Import Policy Order, 2016 so that international trade in live animals and their meat products may be streamlined in accordance with the international rules and practices.
The Ministry of Commerce further informed the meeting that the draft summary containing the above proposals was circulated for views/ comments of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Ministries of Industries & Production and Science & Technology, and the Finance Division. The FBR, M/o Industries & Production and the Finance Division had agreed to the proposals, while most of the observations of the M/o Science & Technology are already part of the import policy in vogue, i.e. food products that were included in the Compulsory Certification Scheme of the PSQCA are included in Appendix-N of the Import Policy Order (IPO), 2016. Similarly, Sr No. 13 of Appendix-B (Part-1), IPO, requires that shipments of food consignments shall carry a Halal Certificate issued by a recognized certification body.
As the federal cabinet ratified the decision of the ECC, Commerce Ministry will incorporate amendments in Import Policy Order 2016.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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