ISLAMABAD: The federal government is all set to lift ban on import of live animals, meat and meat products with Halal certification from different countries in line with the international rules and practices, well informed sources in Commerce Ministry told Business Recorder.
Sharing the details, sources said, that in the backdrop of the outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) disease in 2001, import of live animals, i.e. cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats, and meat and meat products were banned from the BSE infected countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Holland, Spain, Canada, and 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 has been banned since 2005 on account of spread of highly pathogenic avian influence in those countries.
The ban on the import of live animals and animal products from those countries has continued, however, with periodic revisions based on new development, ban on import of de-boned meat from the countries of European Union was relaxed in 2017. Such changes in the import regulations have become part of the Import Policy Order, 2016.
With elimination of such infectious diseases, the erstwhile BSE infected countries have been approaching Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of National Food Security and Research to revise the status of their countries in the Import Policy Order 2016 in light of latest guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
The sources said, 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 has proposed amendments in paragrapth 5A (iii) 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 draft summary containing amendments in Import Policy Order, 2016 was circulated for views and comments in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Ministry of Industries and Production and Science and Technology, and the Finance Division. The FBR, Ministry of Industries and Production and the Finance Division have agreed to the proposals while most of the observations of Ministry of Science and Technology are already part of the import policy i.e. food products that are included in the Compulsory Certification Scheme of the PSQCA are included in appendix -N of the Import Policy Order, 2016. Similarly, serial number 13 of appendix -B, Part-1), IPO requires that shipments of food consignments shall carry a Halal Certification issued by a recognized certification body. Commerce Ministry has solicited the approval of the ECC to amend the Import Policy Order, 2016, as proposed by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
Comments
Comments are closed.