India meat import will cause $100 million loss to Algeria, says parliament members

Algeria’s Public Treasury will undergo a $100 million loss if red meat is imported from India instead of Sudan. Fears are raised over the possibility that Indian meat may be infected and that people may avoid buying it because of the lifestyle difference between the two countries, parliament members say.

• Algerian agriculture minister Rachid Ben Aissa was asked in Parliament about importing red meat for the fasting month of Ramadan. Parliament members asked for details about the reasons why the ministry prefers to import meat from India instead of Sudan.
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• The party En-Nahda (The Revival) said the ministry’s decision to import red meat from India instead of Sudan is “serious,” adding that environmental, health and religious conditions in that country are not in conformity with the Algerian lifestyle. Experts and veterinarians say pandemic viruses are spreading in eastern Asia.
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•  The Parliament members also asked to know about adopted standards in the selection of countries to import meat from. They called on the minister to publish the results of veterinary control commissions after checking Sudan, India and some western countries’ sheep.