RIYADH: The Kingdom will not implement a Shoura Council recommendation to ban dairy exports, said Minister of Agriculture Fahd Balghunaim.
The Shoura Council, an advisory body that does not have legislative powers, approved a recommendation on Monday banning the export of dairy products to conserve water. The recommendation, which was given widespread media coverage, sent shares in Al-Marai Co., the gulf’s largest dairy farm, down by as much as 3.1 percent on Tuesday.
“The government’s policy is to reduce the production of crops that use a lot of water. Dairy products do not use a lot of water. They use barley to feed cattle and barley is imported,” Balghunaim told Reuters.
“This is why we do not plan to implement the Shoura Council’s recommendation to ban dairy exports,” he added.
In its weekly Shoura meeting, ministers said a large volume of water is consumed by dairy farms, which export products to neighboring countries. “The council decided to formulate a plan for the ban so that the Kingdom’s population would benefit from adequate water supplies for their daily consumption and for essential agricultural purposes,” said a member of the council. The members of the council pointed out that several government water-saving measures had not been implemented in the past.
Meanwhile, reacting to local newspaper reports, Banglhunaim said that sheep imported from Somalia and Georgia meet the required quarantine and safety requirements of both Saudi Arabia and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). He also said sheep imported from Somalia come with health certificates from the Somalian Ministry of Interior, adding that a team of veterinary officers from the OIE has visited sheep farms in Somalia and Georgia to ensure animals are safe for human consumption.
The minister said all GCC countries, including the Kingdom, have uniform regulations for importing livestock. “Besides the regulations of the OIE, we also follow GCC guidelines as well as those of the Kingdom. This is for the good of our nation,” he said.
“We have our own qualified veterinary staff to quarantine incoming livestock and our own state-of-the art laboratories to carry out clinical checks,” he added. He pointed out that the Kingdom abides strictly to guidelines set by the UN’s World Health Organization and Food and Agricultural Organization in importing live animals for consumption. “These guidelines ensure that imported animals do not affect both humans and other livestock and are free of diseases,” he said.
Speaking about Georgian sheep, Balghunaim said an OIE team has visited Georgia and ruled that sheep are not infected. Foot and Mouth Disease was reported in Georgia in 2002, the country was subsequently declared disease free. In Somalia, Balghunaim said that the Kingdom streamlines its activities through its mission in Nairobi.
Saudi Arabia is the largest importer of livestock in the world. The animals, which come from several corners of the globe, are also utilized during the annual Haj. The Kingdom imports 4.4 million sheep, 76,000 goats, 17,000 camels and 125,000 cattle every year.
— With input from agencies
