Algeria stops frozen meat import

Meat’s importation in Algeria is suspended until next August while the government is going to increase barley quantities in markets to make it available to stockbreeders as soon as possible.The decision aims at saving livestock in Algeria as stockbreeders have taken their herds, for a week, to butcheries to get rid of them and avoid losses caused by sheep prices collapse, dry pasture lands and fodder high price.

The government organized an urgent common ministerial meeting Saturday to take urgent measures then to avoid a national meat crisis next summer and protect sheep farming in Algeria. It said in a statement that this important sector in national economy passes through a difficult period that endangers the national livestock. Thus, there is a necessity to preserve it.

After that detailed study of the situation in grazing areas, the common ministerial council took a set of urgent measures to support that sector by deciding to suspend any meat importation until August of 2008.