Brazil gets green light to export live cattle to Pakistan

SAO PAULO: Brazil said it received approval this week from Pakistan to export live cattle to the South Asian country, as well as the embryos and semen of cows.

Brazil's Agriculture Ministry said in a statement that it also received the green light to export young tilapia fish to the Philippines.

Brazil exported a total of nearly $489 million in live cattle last year, 154% more than in 2022.

Pakistan's imports from Brazil last year amounted to $298 million, largely from products such as fibers and textiles, the ministry said, while Philippines imported $918 million worth, with meat proteins representing more than three-quarters.

Overall, the South America nation exported almost $340 billion of products in 2023, mainly to China, which bought nearly $106 billion worth, according to government data earlier this month.

In April last year, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday approved the proposed amendments in the relevant clauses of IPO-2022.

Ministry of Commerce submitted a summary on amendments in the Import Policy Order-2022 with regards to the import of live animals and animal products in line with the revised conditions/guidelines by the World Organization of Animal Health (WOAH) on animal (Cattle) trade.

In September 2023, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tightened its rules on the import of meat from Pakistan after receiving complaints of substandard shipments from the country.

The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment said in a notification dated September 19, 2023, that it will only allow fresh or chilled meat from Pakistan that is vacuum-packed or modified-atmosphere packed and has a shelf life of 60 to 120 days from the date of slaughtering.

The new restrictions apply to all other types of packaged fresh or chilled meat that are not allowed to be imported from Pakistan by sea, the notification had said.