Abdur Rahman Al-Misbahi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH – The price of meat in the Kingdom is expected to fall with the lifting of ban on the imports of cattle, sheep and goats from Pakistan by the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture.



The ministry, however, made it a condition to ensure all animals are examined before they are exported to ensure they are free of any contagious diseases.



It noted that Pakistan usually checks its animals, even those that are not for export.



“Therefore, it is not necessary to check the animals that arrive in the Kingdom for any disease including Rift Valley Fever,” it said in a statement.



The ministry said 21 days before the animals are exported they should be quarantined in Karachi.

“Each animal should be numbered,” it added.



The ministry said all animals prepared for export should be immunized against Rift Valley Fever using vaccinations available in Pakistan.



It also said animals should be sprayed individually to get rid of any skin parasites.



It said any consignment should be thoroughly checked 24 hours before shipment to make sure that none of the animals has any contagious disease.



Last month, the Saudi government granted permission for import of Pakistani poultry products in the Kingdom, which had suspended import of eggs and day-old chicks from Pakistan in 2005 due to bird flu disease.



The decision was made after the visit of a four-member technical delegation of Saudi Food and Drug Authority to Pakistan who visited poultry farms, hatcheries and feed mills located in different locations of the country.



The team held meetings with representatives of Pakistan Poultry Association and government officials, and observed that ‘standard of poultry facilities in Pakistan is as good as in many European countries’.



According to published reports, Saudi Arabia’s poultry consumption has been steadily growing at an average rate of five per cent annually during the last two decades, with per-capita consumption estimated at 47kg per year. The Kingdom has also reportedly established strategic poultry reserves of about 650,000 metric tons — sufficient for six months of annual poultry consumption.