Export Requirements for Qatar

QA-10 (Aug 4, 2008)

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Eligible/Ineligible Products

Eligible
1. Fresh/frozen red meat and meat products, except pork.*
2. Poultry and poultry meat products. Effective January 11, 2005, the restriction on raw poultry from Delaware and Texas has been removed. Poultry from these states must be produced on or after this date.
Ineligible
1. Pork and pork products

Labeling Requirements

Fresh/frozen meat and poultry. In addition to the labeling features mandatory in the United States, packaged meat and poultry must bear the following features:
1. Production (slaughter) and expiration dates. Date format requirements for Qatar must conform to the following: Day/Month/Year for products with a shelf life of six (6) months or less and Month/Year for products with a shelf life of more than six (6) months. Dating should be in numeric format and bilingual (English/Arabic).
2. Arabic stickers are allowed.
3. A statement that the product has been slaughtered according to Islamic principles is required.
4. Metric Net Weight - Presently, Qatar has a tolerance of 10 percent variation in the labeled net weight.

Documentation Requirements

Certification Requirements
1. Obtain FSIS Form 9060-5 - Meat and Poultry Certificate of Wholesomeness. All FSIS Form 9060-5 certificates must be dated and have the signature and title of an FSIS veterinarian.
2. Ritual Slaughter - Islamic Slaughter Certification. A certificate of Islamic (Halal) Slaughter is required. Exporters may obtain a Certificate of Islamic Slaughter from a member of an Islamic Center or Islamic organization. A certificate of Islamic Slaughter is a certificate issued by a member of a Moslem organization recognized by the importing country to provide this service; the certificate states that animals were slaughtered according to Moslem religious requirements. This certificate must accompany products labeled "Halal". The certificate must be endorsed by the Arabian-American Chamber of Commerce and by the Qatar Consul and must accompany all shipments. The telephone numbers of the Arabian-American Chambers of Commerce are listed below.
3. Additional Certification.
  1. Fresh/frozen unprocessed products bearing Halal label claims must be acompanied by an appropriate Halal certificate or a written assurance from the exporter that an appropriate Halal certificate will be supplied to accompany that shipment before it reaches its destination.
  2. For processed products with Halal label claims, raw materials used in processed products with Halal label claims must be accompanied by an appropriate Halal certificate.

Handling/Storage Requirements

Special Handling - Qatar requires that instructions for consumers concerning storage, preparation and other special handling requirements accompany shipments.
Packaging - Vacuum packaging is not required.

Other Requirements

Product Arrival and shelf life - Meat and poultry products must arrive within four (4) months of slaughter date.
Qatar Laboratory Sampling. Random samples are routinely collected from meat and poultry products entering Qatar. Product is examined for:
1. Pesticides.
2. Salmonellae and other pathogenic bacteria.
3. Total bacteria counts.
4. Heavy metals.
5. Species identification tests for pork tissue, including lard, in formulated product.
Shelf life for frozen beef and poultry products is twelve (12) months; for minced meats it is nine (9) months; for fresh beef it is 21 days; and for fresh mutton it is 14 days.

Plants Eligible to Export

All Federally inspected establishments are eligible for export to Qatar.

Arabian-American Chambers of Commerce

NATIONAL U.S.-ARAB CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
1625 Eye Street NW Suite 902
Washington, D.C. 20006
(202) 331-8010
fax (202) 331-8297
MIDAMERICA-ARAB CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
135 South Lasalle Street Room 1020
Chicago, Illinois 60603
(312) 782-4654
fax (312) 782-4871
U.S.-ARAB CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
1231 Market Street
San Francisco, California 94101-7239
(415) 552-8202
(213) 646-1499 branch office in Los Angeles

QA-10 (Aug 4, 2009)


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