ECC approves Rs300m for repair of public buildings

Adopts new guidelines for import of animals and their products

ISLAMABAD:

The government on Wednesday sanctioned a budget of Rs300 million for the renovation of its buildings and adopted new guidelines of an international organisation for the import of live animals and their products.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) approved a supplementary grant of Rs300 million in favour of the Ministry of Housing and Works for the repair and maintenance of public buildings, according to the finance ministry.

The government decided to renovate the public buildings in the middle of implementation of an austerity policy. The ECC also approved a supplementary grant of Rs87.2 million in favour of the Intelligence Bureau for the payment of taxes and duties.

It approved a summary of the commerce ministry to bring amendments to the Import Policy Order 2022 for the import of live animals and their products.

These amendments are being made in line with the revised guidelines of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on animal (cattle) trade.

According to the new amendments, the import of live cattle, meat and bone meal (MBM) and feed ingredients of animal origin are banned from countries classified by WOAH in the latest edition of Terrestrial Animal Health Code as Controlled Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Risk and Undetermined BSE Risk.

Live cattle and commodities of bovine origin are importable from countries subject to conditions that the country, zone, or compartment is classified by WOAH in the latest edition of Terrestrial Animal Health Code as Negligible BSE status, and the state veterinary authority in the exporting country shall certify that the cattle being exported were born and raised in the country of origin or from cattle that have been legally imported.

The exporter of the animals will certify that the feeding of meat and bone meal and greaves of ruminant origin to ruminants was banned and effectively enforced at least two years prior to the birth of said categories of animals being exported, and meat and meat products were not derived from the specified risk material for BSE disease.

Live animals, other than cattle, and products of animal origin containing no other tissues from the cattle mentioned are importable regardless of the BSE status of the exporting country: pets (status of the exporting country; pets (cats, dogs and fancy birds), products of animal origin are importable from controlled and undetermined BSE Risk status country subject to certification by the veterinary authority in the exporting country.

The ECC, after discussion, deferred decision on a summary of the Ministry of Commerce for amendment in the IPO 2022 pertaining to used auto lube oil and a summary of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, seeking approval of National Telecommunication Corporation’s (NTC) budget for FY2021-22 and 2022-23.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2023.

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