Standards Corner

STANDARDS NEEDED IN THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

As Guyana moves to diversify its economy from the traditional rice, sugar and bauxite production, the poultry industry could function as a significant contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) if adequate attention is paid to standards.

The development of the poultry industry however, must be premised on the use of standards and the relevant Public Sector Bodies would need to provide the requisite guidance, direction, coordination, technical support and other resources as far as possible.

In order to encourage producers of poultry meat and meat products and table eggs to increase production, to comply with standards, to grade, package and label their products properly, and comply with hygiene requirements,the Public Sector Bodies would have to provide the leadership, create the enabling environment, and bring the Private Sector bodies, Companies and Individuals on board in order to drive the development process.

The poultry industry is very important to Guyana and can make a tremendous contribution to the development of Guyana’s economy.

In January of 2005, two important Regional standards for the poultry industry were approved by the Council of Trade and Economic Development (COTED) at its Eighteenth Meeting in Georgetown.

These standards are: “Specification for Poultry Meats and Poultry Products”, and the “Grading and Quality Requirements for Table Eggs”.  These standards were approved as voluntary standards with a 12 month grace period, after which, they would be made compulsory for all Member States.  This means that all producers, large, medium and small, would have to comply with the various requirements of the standards or they would have to close their businesses.

The implication is very serious.  With the upcoming CARICOM Single Market and Economy by year end, and with the resultant free flow of goods and services in Member States without restriction, the competition will be fierce in the local and regional markets.

For example, certain Member States may flood Guyana’s market with poultry products which comply with all the requirements of the standards, and which are well packaged and labelled, and which can be sold at lower prices than those produced in Guyana. The Guyanese consumers may want to buy and support those products and this can result in the collapse of the Guyanese poultry industry.  This would not auger well for the economy.

There is therefore urgent  need to review the food laws and regulations for import and export in keeping with the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary requirements, and also the Technical Barriers to Trade requirements.

Further, an independent laboratory should be strengtned to carry out support testing of poultry products, and this laboratory must be accredited to the International Standard. Additionally there is need to strengthen a competent authority with trained personnel to monitor the implementation of the standards at poultry establishments.

Assistance should be provided to poultry establishments on the implementation of the standards, as also, with the International Management System standards.

There is great need to resuscitate the Poultry Advisory Committee in the Ministry of Agriculture which could function as the driving force to coordinate the sustained implementation of an action plan designed to improve the industry, thus facilitating the compliance with the standards by the producers, processors and exporters, and this would certainly boost competitiveness.

The possibility of establishing a national egg grading centre or several grading centres around the country, equipped with grading machines and trained multiple graders to provide services such as cleaning, grading, labelling and packaging of eggs should be explored.

With the liberalisation of trade in the CSME, we have no choice but to base our poultry industry on standards and sustained standards implementation.  Competitiveness is the watch word and standards would enable our efforts to easily achieve this objective.