São Paulo – Brazilian poultry exporters gained some time to continue to ship products to Saudi Arabia, while the discussion over the slaughtering of the chickens continues. According to Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), the Saudi Food and Drug Authority agreed to a Brazilian request and extended the period allowing for poultry exports, regardless of the type of slaughtering, to May 1.
The Saudis demand that the chickens to be slaughtered under the halal tradition, but there’s an impasse: Brazilians use electric shock to stun the chicken before the slaughtering, avoiding the animal to struggle and, thus, compromising the meat’s quality. According to the Arabs, this shock kills the chicken, although Brazilian argue that it remains alive before the slaughtering, therefore, respecting the Muslim traditions.
At the end of last month, a Brazilian delegation visited the country to try to convince the Saudi that the stunning of the chicken via electric shock before the slaughtering doesn’t kill the animal, but the deadlock continued. Anyway, the Saudi authority agreed to a request made by MAPA’s executive secretary, Eumar Novacki, and postponed until May 1 the banning of imports so the discussion over this method can continue.
According to the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA), the negotiations for them to approve stunning as a halal method are ongoing. In a statement, the association pointed out that the procedure is used throughout the world, even by Saudi producers, as a way to prioritize the animals’ well-being, without killing them.
“The International Poultry Council (IPC) approved of the global stance over the stunning method. It’s important to point out that Brazil has always respected the halal method, since the birds are alive in the moment of the slaughtering, only stunned. Tests conducted in Brazil, United States and Italy proved it with 100% of positive feedback,” said ABPA in the statement.
“Time is short, but Brazilian companies need to hurry to anticipate shipments and documentation to a date before May 1,” said Michel Alaby, CEO of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. He advises poultry exporters to start preparations to adapt to the new norms: “I find it hard for the Saudis to backtrack in this decision,” he assessed.
According to the executive, the procedure should be taken with an eye in the future. He believes that the requirement for the end of stunning via electric shock will also be made by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), spreading the new slaughtering form to all the countries of the Arab part of the Gulf.,
According to data from the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC), from January to March Saudi Arabia imported USD 237.5 million in Brazilian poultry, down 24.8% over the same period of last year. In 2017, the Saudi market was the main foreign destination for the Brazilian poultry, according to ABPA.
Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
