RIYADH, 29 August 2005 — The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has lifted the six-year-old ban on Belgian food products. The ban was imposed after reports of heavy dioxin contamination in Belgian products.
A ministry circular announced the lifting of the ban. “The notification signed by Dr. Hashim Abdullah Yamani, minister of commerce and industry, has been received by the Belgian Embassy,” said Patrick Deboek, charge d’affaires.
The lifting, he said, would facilitate trade in at least five dairy products including cheese and yoghurt.
The ban was imposed in June 1999 because of the fear of dioxin contamination. The ban led to an inquiry by Belgian authorities on the recurrence of heavy dioxin contamination in certain food items and cattle feed.
The Kingdom, where meat and dairy products are major staple for its over 23 million population, imports dairy, food and meat products from Belgium, Holland, Australia and India besides many other European and Arab countries.
Referring to the lifting of the ban, Deboek said: “This is a positive step and indeed a logical one on the part of the Saudi government especially in the context of the Kingdom’s accession to the World Trade Organization.”
Deboek said that Belgium had taken stringent measures to protect importers and consumers of dairy, poultry and meat products against potential health risks. A group of Saudi experts will visit Belgium before the end of this year to see for themselves the surveillance program adopted by that country.
The total Belgian exports to Saudi Arabia exceeds SR1.8 billion while the Belgian imports total SR3 billion annually.
