Experts said that the step could lead to a deficit in the meat market for fast-food outlets, with an estimated 50% to 60% of the meat used in the production of the country’s hamburgers currently coming from abroad, and the majority of imports accounted for by Europe.
In parallel, the veterinary services have announced the introduction of enhanced laboratory control over the supply of meat from the EU in reaction to the horsemeat scandal.
“After the panic occurred in Europe over the use of horsemeat in the products we decided to thoroughly tested in the laboratory all meat products imported to the country [from EU]. If the shipment meets all of our quality standards standards, we will give permission for it to enter the market,” said Yolchu Hagverdiyev, the head of the press service of the Veterinary Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan.
Supply concerns
Officials claim that there will be no shortage of meat for fast-food chains in the country because new meat processing plants to be launched in the near future will be able to replace the meat products from the EU on the internal market.
“There should be no problems with the supply. In Ganja city and Baku city modern meat processing plants are currently under construction. They should be ready very soon,” said the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture.
However, representatives of the fast food chains are not happy with the new initiative.
“It is not clear why, if the meat is controlled at the border and found to be safe, it can be delivered to urban markets, but it can not be used in hamburgers. Fast food today is very popular in Azerbaijan - it is regularly consumed by 25% of the population. It is quite possible that this will have negative consequences for the industry,” a representative of one of the country’s fast-food chains who wished to remain anonymous told Globalmeatnews.com.