Saudi Arabia suspends adoption of three-month shelf life for chicken meat

The health authorities of Saudi Arabia suspended the implementation of a measure to adopt a maximum validity period of three months for frozen chicken meat imported by the country. Announced in May in the wake of the suspension of 11 Brazilian slaughterhouses by the Saudis, the proposal generated apprehension among Brazilian exporters, as it could make sales of the protein to that market even more difficult.

“The acceptance of the decision re-establishes the processes of our dealings with the fundamental Saudi Arabian market under the criteria that guide the international food trade. It is important news for Brazilian exporters, which have a solid and long-standing relationship with this market,” said Ricardo Santin, president of ABPA (the Brazilian animal protein association), in a statement.

According to ABPA, Brazil’s arguments were presented by the government based on the Codex Alimentarius standards and other internationally established guidelines.

See the chart below for a history of Brazilian exports of chicken meat to Saudi Arabia since 2016. Data are from DataLiner:

Brazilian Exports of Chicken Meat (HS 0207) to Saudi Arabia | Jan 2016 to Jun 2021 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (To request a DataLiner demo click here)

The relationship between Saudi Arabia, a long-standing customer, and Brazilian meatpackers has been deteriorating since 2017 when the kingdom quadrupled its chicken meat import tariff. In the following years, the country, which has encouraged its domestic production, expanded its sanitary requirements — changing the slaughter method — and blocked several slaughterhouses.

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