The Ukrainian State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Rights Protection says the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has halted food exports from Ukraine due to the termination of licensing of the Ukrainian halal center earlier authorized to issue halal certificates in Ukraine, according to Delo.UA.
”Agrarian Minister Taras Kutovyi and Head of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Rights Protection Volodymyr Lapa are personally addressing the issue to renew the certification of the Ukrainian halal center. Special attention to this matter has been paid during a meeting of Ukrainian delegates with new Delegate of the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Al Qassimi,” the Ukrainian watchdog said in a statement.
Ukraine and the UAE will continue negotiating the certification procedure of Ukrainian halal centers by the UAE competent authority, the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA).
The certification procedure of halal centers lasts for about a year on the average.
The State Food Safety Service said it would further inform about the results of the current negotiations.
”The matter is not related to the quality of Ukrainian food: our products are safe and comply with the requirements of international partners, which is demonstrated by the significant diversification of world markets. In this case, the problem is related to internal procedures when the UAE determines halal certification centers` authority,” Lapa said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water banned farm produce imports from Ukraine in late April.
The State Statistics Service reported that Ukraine exported $56 million worth of products to the UAE in the first quarter of 2016, a quarter down on the same period in 2015.
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