Embassy of India

Jakarta

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Submission of All India Buffalo & Sheep Meat Exporters Association (AIMLEA) on some news items which appeared in local media regarding Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)

• India has an excellent track record and there has not been a single incidence of livestock related disease outbreak in any of the importing countries as a result of the importation of the Indian origin frozen meat and Indian Buffalo meat was never implicated. India has exported 1.08 million MTs of Buffalo meat valued at USD 3.17 billion during 2020-21.
• The OIE has categorised India in the list of countries where there is negligible risk for BSE. Further, the country is free of Rinderpest and Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP).  Indian meat exporters are following the guidelines as mentioned in the Article 8.8.22 of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code, 2021 which states “Recommendation for importation from FMD infected countries or Zones, where an official control programme exist” and has laid down strict conditions; primarily, that the meat must be deboned and de-glanded, with compulsory chilling of the carcasses prior to deboning to reduce the pH levels to below 6.0. India has a robust FMD control programme implemented since 2003-04 and has been extended to the entire country.
• As per the current Export Policy of the Government of India, only deboned / deglanded meat is allowed to be exported due to which there is zero risk of transmission of FMD.  The practice of effective deboning, deglanding and removal of large blood vessels, blood clots and haemal nodes, ensure prevention of FMD virus transmission through exported meat. That scientifically, deboned & deglanded meat prepared in accordance with the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (Article 8.8.22) is a safe product & no virus can survive.
• Production of frozen Buffalo meat for export in India is a highly regulated industry.  The export oriented meat production facilities are inspected and registered with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India. All APEDA registered export oriented abattoirs are most modern, state- of- the- art integrated meat plants which are certified for Quality Management (ISO 9001:2008) and Food  Safety Management System (FSSC 22000:2011). The implementation of Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) are rigorously checked by the APEDA Registration committee during inspection of plants.
• Each export consignment of frozen Buffalo meat is accompanied by a Veterinary Health certificate aligned with International health certificate format of the OIE, which states that the meat has been obtained from healthy, disease free livestock and is free from contagious and infectious diseases including Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

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