Imports into Egypt

• BSE and beef imports into Egypt

  Background
  
  Due to the BSE crisis, the EU in 2000 introduced a number of additional measures to respond to the concerns which included:
  
  • the suspension of processed animal proteins in feed for food animals,
  • the compulsory testing of bovine animals over 30 months of age, and
  • the addition of bovine intestine as a specified risk material.
  
  Egypt introduced a temporary import ban on all EU beef at the end of 2000 (Decree 1802/2000 of 20 December 2000), which has been periodically renewed every 3-months since then.
  
  Egypt did modify the ban in October 2001 and introduced a partial easing of the ban, allowing European countries fulfilling regulations set up by the World Animal Health Office in Paris (control system in the country, age of slaughtered animals, number of BSE cases…) to export frozen meat after an inspection carried out by Egyptian experts confirmed the satisfactory application of these regulations. Some MS had successfully negotiated with Egypt and upgraded their facilities in order to meet World Animal Health Office standards.
  
  The current large scale BSE testing in the EU has provided extensive data on the occurrence of BSE and it is now evident that BSE occurs at a very low level in most affected Member States. These measures, such as effectively enforced removal of SRM, an effective feed ban and routine testing of all cattle over 30 months of age at slaughter, have reduced the risk of BSE to a negligible level throughout the EU.
  
  All measures applied to internal market are also applied to products being exported.
  
  Current legal situation of EU beef importations
  
  Importation of beef coming from the EU is governed by Ministry of Agriculture Decree 2852/2004, which extended the import ban on live cattle, meats, meat products, processed meat, waste products, concentrates and food additives containing meat or bone meal until 07/02/2005.
  
  By way of exception of such ban, importation of boneless frozen beef from European countries taking appropriate checks and veterinary measures was permitted under certain conditions:
   

  1.  The exporting countries shall have a progressive and permanent system for numbering, recording and monitoring the animals. Such countries must apply a strict system to control Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) according to the rules of the International Office of Epizootics (IOE) and in accordance with criteria laid down by the EU, which lead to a decrease in the instances of the disease.

  2. Countries of origin shall have progressive veterinary service systems.

  3. Meat shall only be accepted from bulls whose age does not exceed 24 months and shall be subject to at least one of the three tests approved and applied by the European Union. Bulls less than 12 months old are exempted from the above mentioned test.

  4. Cattle must be from regions or herds free of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy during the last three years and must not have been fed bone-meal or animal waste products derived from ruminants and a ban on such fodders must be strictly and effectively implemented in the country of origin.

  5. The country of origin must enforce regular testing of all animals to be slaughtered.

  6. All imported boneless frozen beef must only be from either the fore quarters or the hind quarters.

  7. Technical committees from the General Authority for Veterinary Services shall travel to countries of origin to monitor the implementation of these conditions of importation.

  8. All quarantine procedures and Egyptian standards must be adhered to.

  n addition, the Decree exempted from the ban the following products, whose importation into Egypt would be free:

  1. Salted intestines may be kept in storage in Egypt for re-exportation only but will not be permitted to enter the country,

  2. Salted skin,

  3. Animal substances used in industrial production and not for human or animal consumption.

  The said Decree was amended in January 2005 by Ministry of Agriculture Decree 15/2005 of 05.01.2005, which essentially lifted the ban on beef from the EU. This means that, in addition to frozen boneless beef meat, now also live cows, meat and processed meat products from the EU can be imported into Egypt provided that "the epidemic situation of the country allows importation after referring to international and regional sources".
  
  This amendment allows in principle imports of live bovine, meat, meat products and meat preparations to be imported from the EU pending of approval by the Egyptian General Organisation for Veterinary Services (GOVS). This amendment opens the door (which was closed in the past) to exports of live bovines and products into Egypt and therefore must be considered as a positive sign from the Egyptian side.
  
  According to the General Director for Foreign Relations at Ministry of Agriculture, any European country meeting the international regulations established by the World Animal Health Office in Paris will automatically be authorised to import by the Egyptian General Office of Veterinary Services (GOVS).
  
  Whereas the EU welcomed the lifting of the ban by Decree 15/2005, it expressed concerns on some technical import requirements which could make EU exports unviable. The EU requested Egypt to review the following import requirements so that EU exports of beef into Egypt could be resumed as soon as possible:

  • Request of BSE testing for 100% of cattle in the exporting country,

  • To accept beef only from cattle under 24 months,

  • To clearly define quarantine procedures (transparency)

  As a reply to these requests, the Head of GOVS informed the Delegation in Cairo that GOVS is currently preparing a new Ministerial Decree with the following content:

  • Beef meat will be allowed from animals whose age does not exceed 30 months (currently 24 months)

  • There will no obligation for BSE testing (currently 100% of cattle has to be tested in the exporting country)

  • Quarantine procedures and Egyptian standards will be detailed in the new Decree (which is not the current case)

  • Cattle must be from regions or herds free of BSE (Article 1.4 of the current Decree)

  • Meat must originate from slaughters registered and approved by GOVS (Article 1.7 of the current Decree)

  • Meat must slaughtered according to Islamic Law (not included in the current Decree but already requested according to Ministerial Decree 515/2003 on examination and control procedures on imported commodities)

  The Ministry of Agriculture Decree 561/2005 establishing the new conditions to be applied to beef imported from MS has now been published in the OJ No 184 of 15th August 2005. It only refers to frozen boneless meat, but not to live cattle, meat, meat production and processed meat, allowed for importation by Ministry of Agriculture Decree 15/2005. It allows meat imports of animals with an age not exceeding 30 months and still mentions the need for clinical examination of the BSE disease for animals before slaughter.
  
  The import ban on waste products, concentrates and additives composed of meat or bones powder has extended for another 3 months by Ministerial Decree 328/2005 (until 7/05/2005).
  
  In the mean time, beef imports from the Netherlands and Hungary are currently taking place, according to the following system: The Egyptian importer or the EU exporter have to get in contact with GOVS to request a mission that will check that the slaughter house fulfils Egyptian requirements. If this is the case, the EU exporter is certified and allowed to export beef to Egypt. Each shipment sent to Egypt would have to be inspected to verify they fulfil Egyptian regulations.
  
  Finally, the validity of the ban on waste products, concentrates and food additives containing meat or bone meal was extended by Ministry of Agriculture Decree 328/2005. However, this Decree, although already signed by the Minister of Agriculture, has not been published in the Egyptian Official Journal, thus, has not entered into force yet.

  1. MALR Decree 2852-2004 English
  2. MALR Decree 15-2005 English
  3. MALR Decree 561-2005 English new import conditions
  4. MALR Decree 328-2005 English extending ban