By Kabeer Yousuf — MUSCAT: March 25 - Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MoAF) will review the various poultry products from Brazil in the wake of the Brazilian government suspending 21 Brazilian companies for the meat corruption scandal, the Minister has told the Observer.
The expert committee will review imported food products from Brazil which include frozen beef and poultry, some frozen vegetables, honey and frozen fish.
“We are reviewing the Brazilian products on their fitness for human consumption and a decision will be taken today after the committee designated with the task submits its report,” Dr Fuad bin Jaafar al Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, said.
Brazil’s meat exports have fallen sharply since a police investigation into alleged bribery of food-sanitation inspectors in the world’s top beef and poultry exporter sparked a wave of trade bans. Police have accused more than 100 people, mostly inspectors, of taking bribes in exchange for allowing the sale of rancid products, falsifying export documents or failing to inspect meatpacking plants at all.
Many countries like Chile and South Korea suspended some imports as a “precautionary measure” while the European Union considered action against such companies exporting meat products to the EU. On Saturday, China and Egypt have lifted ban on imports.
Other countries like South Korea has said that it would tighten inspections of imported Brazilian chicken meat and temporarily bar sales of some chicken products.
Companies in Oman, both independent entities and authorised agencies import millions of Rials worth Brazilian products every year and meat and poultry products from Brazil enjoy and stable market here. An expert in Oman’s poultry business said that there are more than 5,000 Brazilian companies exporting their food products to more than 160 countries around the world including the GCC. “We have been dealing with several Brazilian companies out of more than 5,000 companies that expert local poultry and fish products to around 160 countries in the world and this is the first of its kind complaint that we hear of,” he said.
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