RIYADH, 31 July — French Ambassador Bernard Poletti has urged Minister of Commerce Osama Faqeeh to review the Saudi ban on French poultry resulting from a blanket embargo on EU poultry and soft drinks.
This was disclosed to Arab News yesterday by Christian Bodin, economic and commercial counselor at the French Embassy here. He said the ambassador sought a review of the ban in a letter he wrote to Faqeeh.
Bodin said poultry, which accounted for $113 million worth of French exports to the Kingdom last year, is a major export item for France. “Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to have banned French poultry as a result of the ban on EU poultry and soft drinks,” Bodin observed.
However, a check with some supermarkets revealed that the sale of poultry from European Union countries was still going on, as they had not received any official notification.
He said the French Embassy had received a letter from the Doux Group, a major poultry exporter to the Kingdom, confirming that the use of MPA hormones in poultry feed, that led to the Saudi ban, is “totally forbidden in the European Union.
The Doux Group formally certifies and guarantees the absence of these hormones in all of its feed. Moreover, the Doux Group owns and operates its own feed mills and produces 100 percent of its feed requirements allowing it to guarantee total traceability of all the ingredients used in the manufacturing process.”
Bodin said the French agriculture minister would also write to Faqeeh seeking a review of the ban. “We, of course, appreciate the Kingdom’s great concern for the health of its citizens.
“But we would like to assure the government authorities that France uses strict quality control measures in the production of food and drinks.”
Asked about bilateral trade, the official said there was a 4.5 percent increase in French exports to the Kingdom last year.
As for the first four months of this year, French exports have shot up by 13 percent, while imports from the Kingdom plunged by 25 percent during the same period. He attributed the trade imbalance to the impact of Sept. 11 on the French economy. “Our main import items from the Kingdom are petrol, petrochemicals, plastic and refined oil products. Since our economy has also been affected by the slowdown in the global economy, the demand for Saudi products also shrank,” Bodin said.
