UAE lifts ban on import of French beef

The UAE’s Ministry of Environment and Water has lifted the ban on imports of French beef, which has been in place since the BSE outbreak in 2000, after discussions with the French Ministry of Agriculture.

France is the main producer of beef in Europe, making up 20% of all beef production from the continent – a total of 1.6 million tons annually, with 250,000 tons of that being exported. The signing of the Bovine Meat Certificate means that halal certified meat will now be allowed into the UAE.

Christelle Labernède, head of agribusiness at Ubifrance Dubai, an agency set up to help French companies export their products, said: “The UAE are great consumers of meat as a result of the growth of tourism there and of the high income per-capita. The country consumes 18 times more meat per capita than the worldwide average, and depends on imports for 80% of its cattle meat needs. Meat consumption is expected to increase by 28% from 2011 to 2015, when it should reach 439,000 tonnes.”

Labernède added: “The French beef meat sector will enter the UAE market by meeting with importers, Chefs at major hotels and restaurants, and retailers. Importers and leading Chefs established in the UAE are eager to buy French beef meat, which they see as a hallmark of quality.”

Xavier Pacholek, agricultural counsellor for the Middle East at the Embassy of France, said: "French beef meat is popular worldwide for its taste (flavour, juiciness) and nutritional qualities and French veterinary services offer a very high level of safety: they are one of the few veterinary services in the world receiving the ISO / IEC 17020 accreditation related to official controls."