September 2, 2004

 

 

Indian Embroiled In Illegal Beef Export Claims

 

A Brisbane-based meat exporter in Australia has claimed that beef from India is being sold illegally in Indonesia.

 

AustAsia, a company which exports Australian beef to Indonesia has alleged beef - often buffalo meat - from India is getting into the Indonesian market.

 

The company claims the meat is being reboxed and relabelled to bear a resemblance to packaging from Australia.

 

India's Deputy High Commissioner in Australia, A Manickam, denied Indian meat was being sent to Indonesia.

 

AustAsia managing director John Griffith admitted that India did not directly export meat to Indonesia. But he believed beef was entering the country illegally.

 

"Records probably show it is going to Malaysia or Singapore," Mr Griffith said. He added it was possibly being reboxed there and re-exported to Indonesia.

 

"It is legal for (Indian) beef to go into Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. But it is illegal to go into Indonesia," Mr Griffith said.

 

As India was declared a foot-and-mouth disease area, meat from the country could not be sent to Indonesia, according to Meat and Livestock Australia, a group which oversees meat exports from Australia.

 

Indonesian newspapers had reported that several containers of beef suspected of being illegally imported had been seized.

 

Details provided by the Indonesian authorities mentioned India, Brazil, Argentina, China, Malaysia and Singapore as the source of the seized meat.

 

"Malaysia and Singapore suggested the meat probably originated in India," Mr Griffith said.

 

Mr Manickam said said Indian authorities would raise the issue with Indonesia.