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| Export Requirements for Qatar
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QA-14 (Apr 18, 2012)
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Eligible/Ineligible Products
- Eligible
- Fresh/frozen red meat and meat products, except
pork.
- Poultry and poultry meat products.
- Ineligible
- Pork and pork products
Note: Shipments of pork and pork products for the U.S. military are eligible.
The following statement should appear in the "Remarks" section: "Product destined
for U.S. military use."
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:
- Production (slaughter/freezing) and expiration dates. Date format requirements for
Qatar must conform to the following: Day/Month/Year for products with a
shelf life of three (3) months or less. For products with a
shelf life of more than three (3) months, both the Day/Month/Year and Month/Year
formats are acceptable. Dating should be in numeric format and bilingual
(English/Arabic).*
- Arabic stickers are allowed.
- A statement that the product has been slaughtered according to Islamic
principles is required.
- Metric Net Weight - Presently, Qatar has a tolerance of 10 percent
variation in the labeled net weight.
- Country of origin must be mentioned on the label.
Certification Requirements
- 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.
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.
Note to Exporter
- Qatar Laboratory Sampling. Random samples are routinely collected from meat
and poultry products entering Qatar. Product is examined for:
- Pesticides.
- Salmonellae and other pathogenic bacteria.
- Total bacteria counts.
- Heavy metals.
- Species identification tests for pork tissue, including lard, in
formulated product.
- Recommended 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.
Information Regarding Halal Certification
The following is presented as information for the exporter. FSIS is not responsible for certifying that
products intended for export to Muslim countries meet appropriate requirements for religious slaughter.
Procedures for export certification do not include agency oversight of the Halal process or review of
the authenticity of the Halal certificate.
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 Muslim 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
Qatar Consulate in the exporting country and must accompany all shipments. In the absence of a
Qatari Embassy/Consulate, endorsement by any of the GCC or Arab Embassy/Consulates will be accepted.
Halal certification will be required for the following products:
- 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.
- Processed products with Halal label claims, raw materials used in
processed products with Halal label claims must be accompanied by an
appropriate Halal certificate.
QA-14 (Apr 18, 2012)
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