Saudi regulatory board concerned over Brazilian chicken slaughter

Eumar Novacki, executive secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) and Sufian Al-Irhayim, director of the Gulf Standards Organisation (GSO), met to discuss subsidising changes in regulations on the de-sensitisation of chickens, which involve technical and religious aspects.

An amendment to the general requirements for animal and bird slaughtering, in line with Islamic Law, was discussed and, according to Al-Irhayim, it is expected to be implemented by the end of June 2018. The change will allow clear rules for meeting halal certification requirements.

MAPA has collaborated with the development of scientific studies, along with universities, on the subject, as a measure to support certifiers and companies to fulfil the religious requirements necessary for export.

To align procedures adopted at slaughter, a direct channel of discussion was established between GSO, MAPA and the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA), an entity that represents poultry slaughterhouses in Brazil.

The Brazilian perspective is that the new rules, to be deliberated by the Gulf Council, contemplate the modern technological mechanisms of slaughter and its conformity with the technical and religious requirement of the Arab country.

Novacki highlighted Brazil’s willingness to cooperate on technical and technology issues in order to strengthen products for the Saudi market, and added that the role of Brazilian agricultural research corporation Embrapa had contributed to the success of agricultural production in Brazil.

Saudi Arabia is the one of the main destinations for Brazilian chicken exports, with 591,000 tons sent to the market in 2017 – amounting to a value of more than US$1bn.

A meeting has been set up with delegates from the two countries, in Brazil in May 2018, to certify exports of live cattle.