DGFT proposed Draft Guidelines on Halal Certification for Export of Meat and Meat Products

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade(DGFT) has proposed Draft Guidelines on Halal Certification for Export of Meat and Meat Products via issuing Trade Notice.

The Trade Notice Stated, “With the aim of streamlining the Halal certification process for the export of meat and meat products from India, the draft guidelines on Halal certification for the export of meat and its products are proposed.”

The salient features of the draft guidelines proposed are as under:

1. Only meat and meat products that are produced, processed, and packaged under a valid certificate issued by a Certification Body duly accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), Quality Council of India (QCI), under the India Conformity Assessment Scheme (i-CAS) – Halal as per the enclosed guidelines may be exported as “Halal certified.”

2. The Certification Bodies shall follow the procedure laid down as per the i-CAS – Halal.

3. As the overall oversight body for this, the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) shall be designated.

Products covered for the purpose of this Notice are as under:

However, the producer, supplier, or exporter must comply with the requirements or regulations of the importing country, as applicable, and must hold valid certificates issued by Halal certification bodies approved under the national halal system of the importing country for the export consignment(s) to countries where there is a Regulation on Halal and where the i-CAS – Halal scheme has not yet been benchmarked or recognised. In such circumstances, the producer, supplier, or exporter shall voluntarily obtain the Halal certification under i-CAS – Halal.

After the final notification is issued, all current Halal Certification Bodies and Export Units have six months to register with the Accreditation Body and APEDA under the proposed i-CAS Scheme.

Draft guidelines at Annex are hereby circulated for the public/industry comments and feedback. The comments on the draft guidelines may be sent to [email protected] by February 17, 2023 for compilation and to prepare the final guidelines in the matter.

For Official Notice Download PDF Given Below: