Export ban on meat and livestock
29 July 2011Following a request by the Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA), the federal government has banned export of meat and livestock for three months to curb their skyrocketing prices. The Minister for Commerce, Makhdoom Amin Fahim said there are several other factors contributing to the increase of meat and livestock prices, including the death of 1.5 million animals due to the 2010 floods.
The smuggling of animals into various neighbouring countries is also a major cause, he said. The minister said the ban would help in bridging the demand-supply gap, ultimately bringing meat and animal prices down so that poor people can also consume them. He further stated that a number of projects have also been initiated in the country to increase the production of livestock. ‘The government is in the process of establishing Halal food certification system in Pakistan,’ said the statement. It added that 95,523 animals were exported during the July-March 2010-11 period. Historically, Ministry of Commerce has always been in favour of exporting value added products like meat, meat by-products such as finished leather and leather goods as the export of live animals affects the local meat and leather industry negatively.
