EGYPT - March 28 - Indian Meat Banned.

A report in The Financial Times says Cairo banned Indian meat imports for fear of the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. The ban came into effect on March 20 and was set to last until April 28. (This comes after Saudi Arabia also suspended Indian meat imports. The move by Cairo, which imports 14,000 tons/month of Indian meat and meat products, has led to a fall in India's meat exports from 30,000 tons/month to 15,000 tons. The Indian Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority is sending a delegation to Egypt to try to reverse the ban. The President of the All India Meat and Livestock Exporters' Association Irfan Allana says: "The Egyptian government is in the process of reviewing their existing protocols for imports. But our buffalo products are de-boned and de-glanded and kept at a pH level of less than six, so they are entirely risk-free". But Cairo's officials remained tight-lipped).