October 20, 2003

EU Inspects Turkish Facilities For Approval to Export Poultry Meat

Five Turkish facilities are currently being inspected by European Union veterinarians for approval to export poultry meat to the EU, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) noted in a recent report.

Turkish officials' forecast is, during the first year, exports for the five plants could total up to 10,000 tons. An additional four plants will be inspected by next March. Turkish officials are hoping that this could eventually lead to additional exports to other markets including Russia and the Middle East, FAS said. While the Turkish exports could compete with U.S. poultry in other markets, Turkey's need for U.S. soybeans and corn could also increase.

In March, Turkish officials indicated that the EU would begin inspection of several poultry facilities for approval to export poultry meat to the EU, FAS said. According to Turkish poultry representatives, EU veterinarians are currently in Turkey inspecting five facilities. An additional four facilities applied to the EU Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs but have been asked to wait until March 2004. The five facilities now being inspected are some of the largest and most modern facilities in Turkey.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has agreed to allocate and assign 35 veterinarians to the facilities. The veterinarians who will be located on the premises will be responsible for overall quality control and record keeping as required by the EU.

FAS added that Turkish business representatives believe that after getting EU's approval, it would strengthen the image of Turkish poultry products and encourage other countries to trade with Turkey.

Turkey exports some products to both Russia and the Middle East but some believe that these markets could be expanded. The expanded export market could also serve as a safety valve for the Turkish poultry sector. In the 1990s, poultry production increased considerably, which in turn led to overproduction, falling prices and many bankruptcies. A larger export market could alleviate this cycle, FAS said.