Saudi Arabia - Export requirements for meat and poultry products

Eligible/ineligible product

Eligible

• Beef
  • products from boneless skeletal muscle derived from animals of less than thirty (30) months of age (UTM) at the time of slaughter

Ineligible

• Pork
  • pork, pork fat or pork products
  • products with any percentage of pork mixed with other meat product

Pre-export approvals by competent authority of importing country

Establishments

• Only meat produced in establishments approved by Saudi Arabia is eligible for export. For more information please refer to Annex 1: List of Establishments Approved to Export to Saudi Arabia.
• Operators interested in obtaining approval for an establishment should submit an application as per usual procedures. The approval process may require an on-site visit by Saudi officials. The trade parties will be responsible for making the necessary arrangements, when applicable. Additional information for registration of establishments and exporters is available on the Executive Department of Imported Food Control – Electronic Services website of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.
• Approved establishments are subject to inspection by Saudi officials. Trade parties are responsible for making arrangements when such inspections are requested by the Saudi authorities.

Product specifications

• Trade parties are responsible to take appropriate measures to ensure compliance with all applicable finished products standards (for example: chilling or freezing temperatures, compositional standards, chemical residues or microbiological requirements) established under various Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Standards (GS) or Saudi Arabia Standards Organization (SASO). Copies of the following standards, available to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), were distributed and should be used by the operator of approved establishments to ensure compliance: (GS) No. 993/1998, 997/1998, 996/1998, 815/1997, 504/1994, and Saudi Standards Specification No. 1668/2000, 1667/2000, 958/1994, 1425/1998, 1423/1998 and 137/1997, and the Ministerial Decisions No. 123 dated 16/1/1422H and No. 1666 dated 15/9/1421H.
• Operators are responsible to ensure that the most current version of applicable standards is used.
• The products are subject to Saudi import controls. Trade parties are responsible for ensuring that all applicable requirements are met or to dispose of the products as deemed appropriate by Saudi competent authorities when a non-compliance is identified as a result of import inspection.

Production controls and inspection requirements

• A certificate pertaining to ritual slaughter is required. Trade parties are responsible for making the necessary arrangements with an Islamic Organization to obtain certification acceptable to Saudi authorities.
• The certification required should be endorsed by a Saudi diplomatic mission or a substitute. Trade parties are responsible for ensuring that this requirement is met to the satisfaction of the Saudi authorities.

Chemical residue testing

• To meet certification requirements that residues in meat and/or meat products comply with the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) standards, the operator of a registered establishment, which is eligible to export meat and meat products to Saudi Arabia is required to do additional chemical residue testing.
• The operator must develop, implement and maintain a written program for the random testing and this program must be acceptable to the CFIA.
• This program must include the control elements outlined below in order to demonstrate compliance with this certification requirement:
  • Each establishment eligible to export beef to Saudi Arabia is required to develop a written program no later than October 1, 2018.
  • Samples will be collected from 2 random shipments destined to Saudi Arabia, which will be tested for tetracycline group and monensin, between October 1, 2018 and October 1, 2019.
  • The muscle samples will be collected by the trained slaughter establishment employee.
  • Products sampled for testing will not be certified for export until satisfactory results are reported by the accredited laboratory.
  • If more than one unsatisfactory result is received, 2 additional samples must be collected by the operator and results must be found satisfactory for tetracycline group and monensin.
• The following accredited laboratories can be used for this testing:
  • Tetracyclines
    • AGAT Laboratories
    • Groupe EnvironeX
    • Maxxam Analytics International Corporation
    • Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec
    • Silliker JR Laboratories ULC (Merieux NutriSciences)
    • Caro Analytical Services
    • University of Guelph
  • Ionophores (monensin)
    • Maxxam Analytics International Corporation
    • Silliker JR Laboratories ULC (Merieux NutriSciences)
    • Caro Analytical Services
    • University of Guelph
• The results for this randomized testing will be monitored, and reviewed on a yearly basis. Further decisions on requirement for this additional testing will be taken based on the results.

Labelling, packaging and marking requirements

• Trade parties are responsible for ensuring that the products are labelled in accordance with applicable Saudi labelling requirements as outlined in the SASO number 9/1995 "Labels of Packed Food Commodities". A copy of the standards, available to the CFIA, has been distributed and should be used by the operator of approved establishments to ensure compliance.
• The shipping container must be sealed with an official seal.

Documentation requirements

Certificate

• Certificate of Inspection Covering Meat Products (CFIA/ACIA 1454)
• Annex A – Veterinary certificate for deboned meat products derived from cattle