Business

PBIF hails establishment of meat testing facility

Expects move to ease entry of Pakistani exporters in European and American markets

APP August 31, 2017

The European Union (EU), he stated, rejected 134 consignments of food items from Pakistan in the last year resulting in losses and wastage of food. “The laboratory can analyse 1000 samples per annum which need to be increased further since Pakistan is producing one of the largest food and meat producing countries in the world PHOTO: EXPRESS

ISLAMABAD: The business community appreciated the government on Wednesday for establishing the Veterinary Residue Laboratory in Faisalabad, hoping it will help boost meat and meat products’ exports from the country.

“Pakistan has acquired the capability to certify safety of food items which will help in boosting exports,” Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF) President Mian Zahid Hussain said in a statement.

Highlighting the importance of the food testing facility, Zahid said through a press release that its establishment will allow meat exporters to enter European and American markets where safety laws are stringent relative to traditional Middle Eastern market where meat products are presently exported.

He further said that the laboratory, established by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, has recently earned accreditation from the International Organisation for Standardisation. This, he said, will allow Pakistani exporters to get ISO certification domestically which will have monetary and time-saving benefits along with reducing chances of consignments getting rejected.

The European Union (EU), he stated, rejected 134 consignments of food items from Pakistan in the last year resulting in losses and wastage of food. “The laboratory can analyse 1000 samples per annum which need to be increased further since Pakistan is producing one of the largest food and meat producing countries in the world despite low exports,” he observed.

The PBIF president said that Pakistani livestock farmers use different medicines to keep the animals healthy which can cause rejections if the residue is found in the meat. Appropriate training and awareness campaigns need to be launched to avoid these practices, he said.

Urging the government to establish a dedicated ministry for this ‘vibrant’ sector, he said that the new facility will help in increasing the share of livestock in Pakistan’s GDP which currently stands at 12%.

There are around 45 food and meat export institutions and their number is bound to swell due to the establishment of the laboratory, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2017.

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