São Paulo – Saudi Arabia has changed its rules for companies that export beef and chicken to the country. By the end of this year, all export facilities will have to register on the website of Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA), the country’s health monitoring agency, and pay a 220,000 riyal fee, equivalent to US$ 58,600.
After registering, the SFDA will advise the company on how to pay the fee. Each unit that produces and exports meats to Saudi Arabia will have to do this and pay the registration fee, even if they belong to the same company. Producing plants that do not meet these requirements may not be allowed to export to Saudi.
In this registration, in Portuguese, the exporter plant will have to inform its Federal Inspection Service (SIF) registration number, issued by the government of Brazil, and the characteristics of the production unit (type of product made, production capacity, and location). It will also be necessary to submit a copy of SIF registration in English or Arabic, not necessarily sworn, and quality certificates like the ISO 22000, ISO 9001, GMP or HACCP. Any production unit in any country that exports or plans to export to Saudi Arabia must follow the procedure.
The SFDA purpose with this measure is to increase food safety, of both imported and locally produced products. The measure, for example, avoids the country’s import of meat that does not follow the rules of halal slaughter, required by Islam, or meat other than beef. Based on this record, the SFDA should inspect poultry and beef production plants worldwide. Until these inspections are made, companies may continue to export normally.
Meeting
On May 20, a Brazilian delegation met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the general director of SFDA, Khaled Al Aydi, and the imported food control executive, Khalid Al Nurshed. On the Brazilian side, the meeting was attended by the government relations executive at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Tamer Mansour, and representatives of the Brazilian Halal Food Centre (Cibal Halal), the Brazilian Poultry Union (Ubabef), the Brazilian Beef Industry and Exporters Association (Abiec), the Embassy of Brazil in Riyadh and companies JBS and BRF.
At the meeting, Aydi and Nurshed delivered a document explaining the "step by step" process for the new Saudi regulations and stressed that the measures were taken to increase control of the health standards of the Arab country.
The CEO at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Michel Alaby, said the increased demands can be beneficial for Brazilian companies, as they represent a testament to quality.
"This is a way to protect consumer health. It will be like a quality seal showing that the producer has SFDA registration. It is a declaration of compliance with the Saudi regulations," he said. The Arab Chamber will distribute an e-mail informing the changes required by the Saudis and the procedures that must be adopted.
Alaby believes that the standards adopted by the Saudis can be beneficial to exports to the entire Middle East. "Companies that comply will have a differential for export to the entire Gulf region and to Islamic countries," he said.
Likewise, the executive director at Ubabef, Ricardo Santin, said the new rules should be positive for Brazilian companies, as they must guarantee the quality of products. "They are improving inspection to generate greater consumer confidence. Our companies are in agreement, and, thus, there will be no misunderstandings or forgeries," he said.
According to the executive director at Abiec, Fernando Sampaio, some exporters had doubts as to how to register, but after meeting with representatives of the SFDA, in Riyadh, the problems doubts were cleared.
Trade
According to the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, between January and April this year, Brazil exported the equivalent to US$ 513.3 million in meat to Saudi Arabia. In the same period last year, the country had exported US$ 412.2 million, including beef and chicken.
This year, only chicken was exported as Saudi Arabia has placed an embargo on imports of Brazilian beef since the government announced, in late 2012, that a cow that had died in Paraná had been carrying the agent that generates mad cow disease, although the animal had not developed the disease.
Further information
Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce
With Rafael Abdulmassih, Business and Markets Manager
Tel: (+55 11) 3147-4116
E-mail: rafael@ccab.org.br
Site for SFDA registration: http://frcs.sfda.gov.sa/Account/RegisterAccount.aspx
*Translated by Mark Ament
