The Arab States of the Gulf 3/1
A non-EU country shall be approved to export a particular category of food of animal origin and shall be included in the list of non-EU country accredited to that specific category of food.
Poultry import restrictions include the following criteria:
- Exporting countries shall have a competent authority responsible for official control of all stages throughout the food chain. The Authority shall be empowered, structured and resourced to implement effective inspection and ensure public and animal health.
- The country or region of origin shall fulfil the relevant animal health standards.
- The country shall be a member of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and shall fulfil the organization's standards and reporting obligations.
- Approved countries within 24 hours of the outbreak of avian influenza and Newcastle disease, including also significant changes in health, shall notify the European Commission's Directorate General of Health and Food Safety.
- You can visit European Commission website on to know more about European Union's poultry export restrictions through the following link: ia_trade_facstheet_poultry-and-products.pdf (europa.eu)
Meat import restrictions include the following criteria :
- Exporting countries shall have a competent authority responsible for official control of all stages throughout the food chain. The Authority shall be empowered, structured and resourced to implement effective inspection and ensure public and animal health.
- Imports are only authorised from approved establishments such as slaughterhouses, cutting plants) which have been inspected by the competent authority of the exporting country and found to meet EU requirements.
- For the export of meat from bovine, ovine or caprine animal species (cattle, sheep and goats) to the EU, exporting countries shall apply for a determination of their Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) status.
- You can visit European Commission website to know more about European Union's meat export restrictions through the following link: ia_trade_import-cond-meat_en.pdf (europa.eu)
Fish import restrictions include the following criteria:
- Exporting countries shall have a competent authority responsible for official control of all stages throughout the food chain. The Authority shall be empowered, structured and resourced to implement effective inspection and ensure public and animal health.
- Live fish, their eggs and gametes intended for breeding and live bivalve molluscs shall fulfil the relevant EU animal health standards. Therefore, the veterinary services in the non-EU country shall ensure effective enforcement of all necessary health controls and implement appropriate health monitoring programmes.
- Specific conditions shall apply for imports of live or processed bivalve molluscs such as mussels and clams.
- And echinoderms such as sea urchins or marine gastropods such as sea-snails and conchs).
- You can visit European Commission website to know more about European Union's fish export restrictions through the following link: ia_trade_import-cond-fish_en.pdf (europa.eu)
Certain plants, plant products and other objects entering the EU shall have a phytosanitary certificate guaranteeing that they are properly inspected.
Compulsory phytosanitary checks shall be carried out on all plants and plant products from non-EU countries and the following shall be submitted:
- Phytosanitary certificates and documents to ensure that the shipment fulfil EU requirements؛
- Identification to ensure that the shipment complies with the certificate؛
- Inspection to ensure that the shipment is free of harmful organisms؛
EU countries collect fees for document, identity and phytosanitary checks that shall be paid by the importer or their customs representative.
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall receive a prior notification of food, including animal feed that is imported or offered for import into the United States.
Importers shall be required to perform risk-based foreign supplier verification activities to verify that:
- Establishing and implementing a food safety system that includes preventive analysis based on these risks. The rule sets out the requirements for a written food safety plan that includes risk analysis, preventive controls, control and management of preventive controls
- The food is produced in a manner that provides the same level of public health protection as section 418 (concerning hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls) or 419 (concerning standards for the safe production and harvesting of certain fruits and vegetables that are raw agricultural commodities (RACs) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 350g and 350h), if applicable;
- 350h
- 21 U.S.C 350g
- The food is not adulterated under section 402 of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 342);
- 21 U.S.C 342
- The human food is not misbranded under section 403(w) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 343(w)) (concerning food allergen labeling) ;
- 21 U.S.C 343
- Seafood import controls depend on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.
- Under FDA regulations, fish manufacturers shall have to identify hazards that, without preventive controls, are reasonably likely to affect the safety of the product. If at least one risk is identified, the Company will be required to adopt and implement the appropriate HACCP plan.
The main sanitation conditions that shall be fulfilled include:
- Safety of the water that comes in contact with food or food contact surfaces, or is used in the manufacture of ice
- Condition and cleanliness of food contact surfaces, including utensils, gloves, and outer garments
- Prevention of cross-contamination from insanitary objects to food, food packaging material, and other food contact surfaces, including utensils, gloves, and other outer garments, and from raw product to cooked product
- Protection of food, food packaging materials, and food contact surfaces from adulteration with lubricants, fuel, pesticides, cleaning compounds, sanitizing agents, condensate, and other chemical, physical, and biological contaminants
- Proper labeling, storage, and use of toxic compounds
- Control of employee health conditions that could result in the microbiological contamination of food, food packaging materials, and food contact surfaces
- Exclusion of pests from the food plant
- Seafood HACCP Regulation
Some of the criteria imposed by these certificates shall include:
- The Food product shall be safe and fit for human consumption
- The food products were handled at an establishment that has been subjected to inspections by the competent authority and/or officially recognized body and implements a food safety management system based on HACCP principles or an equivalent system.
- The meat and meat product shall be safe and fit for human consumption
- Animals have been slaughtered in a slaughterhouse approved and under the supervision of the competent authority of the exporting country, and is approved by the GCC authorities.
- The meat and meat product from animals that have been subjected to ante-mortem and post- mortem inspection by veterinarians assigned by the Competent Authority of the country of origin.
- The meat and meat product were handled at an establishment that has been subjected to inspections by the competent authority and implements a food safety management system based on HACCP principles or an equivalent system.
- Good veterinary practices have been applied in the use of veterinary medicines (including growth promoters) and agriculture chemicals in live animals, and any residues in meat and/or meat product comply with GCC requirements.
- The meat and/or meat product originates from animals that have not been slaughtered for the purpose of disease eradication or disease control.
- The meat and meat product have not been derived from animals fed on processed animal protein, excluding milk substitute during lactation period and fishmeal.
- The milk/milk products shall be safe and fit for Human consumption
- The milk /milk products have been derived from healthy animals that are subject to the official veterinary service inspections in the country of origin.
- The milk/milk products were handled in an establishment that has been subjected to inspections by the competent authority and implements a food safety management system based on HACCP principles or an equivalent system.
- Good veterinary practices have been applied in the use of veterinary medicines (including growth promoters) and agriculture chemicals in live animals and any residues in milk or milk products comply with GCC requirements.
- Halal Certificate Forms
- Health Certificate Forms
