Improved food safety for the meat value chain in Pakistan

UNIDO jointly with the coalition of government counterparts of Pakistan launched the Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and the Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP) guidelines for cattle meat value chain at the event on 27 January 2022. Developed under the Project for Agri-Food and Agro-Industry Development Assistance (PAFAID), as funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Government of Japan, the project aims to revitalize livelihoods across the meat value chain in province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the apple value chain in Balochistan through improved pilot applications of compliance capacities and value addition. 

Launching event featured interventions from key government stakeholders, including the Agriculture Department, KP Food Safety and Halal Food Authority (KPFSHFA), Livestock and Dairy Development Department (LDD) and the Local Council Board (LCB). Participants also included representatives from the Farmers Association, the Butcher Association, University of Veterinary Sciences (UVAS) and University of Agriculture, Peshawar.

Abdul Sattar Shah, Director Technical of the KPFSHFA, highlighted the challenges faced by food operators and called for implementation of hygiene principles mentioned in the guides for the provision of safe and quality meat. “These guides will help identify shortcomings and would help in setting up modern slaughter houses, enabling access to both local and international markets” highlighted Abdul Sattar Shah.

These actor-based guides aim to support the adoption of best practices for food safety from farm-to-shelf, encompassing a range of actors along the meat value chain (GAHP for farmers, transporters and animal markets and GHP for abattoirs and butcher shops). The project has also launched an E-learning platform to train the inspectors and extension officers from local authorities corresponding to the technical content of the aforementioned guides. The e-learning programme will be used as the internal capacity building programme of these authorities. UNIDO will also facilitate the government counterparts to collaboratively roll out and implement these guides during future project activities. The guides are available in English and Urdu to promote easier adoption.

For more information contact Gabor Molnar (G.Molnar [at] unido.org (G[dot]Molnar[at]unido[dot]org))