Egypt: Update Halal on Milk and Dairy
The Egyptian government waives ISEG Halal Certification fees for Milk and Dairy products until 1st of October 2022
Following to our last bericht on the recent ISEG Halal regulations. The Egyptian Prime Minister decided to waive ISEG Halal Certification Fees for Milk and Dairy Products until 1st of October 2022. This is a result to opposition by stakeholders to plans to impose certification requirements for a broad category of food and beverages. Various contradictory oral and written signals are being received. The agricultural team of the embassy in Cairo is trying to follow and make sense of this confusing situation.
On 16th of March 2022, the General Organization for Veterinary Services (GOVS) distributed a letter with instructions for its veterinary offices across the country. The instructions state that all milk and dairy products could enter Egypt, while confirming certification as a requirement in import licenses. The government will wave certification fees until 1st of October.
The Egyptian Halal Standard Committee completed a first draft of the Halal Standard on February 16, 2022. Many concerns remain on how and when the new standard will be applied. Companies and embassies have = concerns on these procedures due to the lack of clarity on the implementation of the ambition to centralize Halal certification with one semi-public body ISEG Halal. A major concern is that this is discriminatory against exporters as the same standards are not mandatory in their application to local producers.
The agricultural team of the embassy will follow up on developments and stand ready to provide updates when needed: KAI-LNV@minbuza.nl