New efforts to strengthen Lebanese veterinary control amidst controversy over imports of frozen meat

The Minister of Agriculture, Akram Chehayeb, announced yesterday that his Ministry will soon be launching in collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Italian Health Ministry a project to strengthen the power and control of veterinary authorities in Lebanon.  This move is within the joint collaboration effort between the above-mentioned parties aiming to control import and export procedures on all frontal points as well as to conform with veterinary legislations in addition to monitoring animal diseases, food safety and lab diagnosis of animals and strengthening joint research.
Within a similar vein, the Chargé d’affaires of the Chamber of Commerce, industry and trade in Tripoli, Toufic Dabboussi, revealed that frozen chicken is being imported and sold as fresh chicken.  He added that this goes against all safety measures in addition to damaging the local poultry production.  The President of the traders and merchants of red meat, poultry and frozen fish, Samih al Masri, noted in a statement that the allegation that frozen chicken is being imported and sold as fresh is totally untrue because imports are controlled by the Ministry of Agriculture,.  He also reiterated that the import of frozen poultry is safe and is subject to lab tests.
Source: Al-Safir, Al-Nahar, 24 July 2014