Iran takes action on red meat imports
“Iran imported red meat worth only US$4m in 2005, while in the last Iranian calendar year, which ended on 21 March, this figure had already risen to US$85m,” said the report, adding that this figure referred only to frozen meat, but a “similar situation” had been observed in the country’s chilled meat imports.
The report stated that the policy of ex-Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was focused on trade with the country’s political partners, which resulted in a flood of low-quality imports form India and Pakistan that stifled local meat production.
It added that the country had also imported cattle which were infected with new strains of foot-and-mouth disease and other dangerous diseases, causing further damage to Iranian meat production.
New policy
According to the National Union of Livestock Farmers of Iran, the new government has implemented a new policy aimed at developing the country’s meat production and reducing dependence on imports.
“Iran currently produces about 970,000 tonnes (t) of red meat and according to the plans this figure will rise by 705,000t over the next five years. As a result, Iran will be able to abandon almost all imports of red meat,” said the union’s president Saeed Soltani Sarvestani.
In the meantime, the country is looking to boost the quality of its meat imports.
“In particular Iran is currently close to signing a deal with New Zealand on the import of meat from that country,” said Mohsen Meshkat, director of the Veterinary Organization of Iran.
“This deal is important for our country because New Zealand is one of the best meat producers in the world”
