A Kuwaiti Ministry of Trade official yesterday confirmed that the ban on meat produced in the UAE has been lifted, but that on re-exported meat remains. Officials in Saudi Arabia could not be reached for comment.

"The ban was originally placed as a precautionary measure because most of the UAE meat is imported. The ban on locally produced UAE meat was removed a month ago," said Jamal Al Rashid, commercial control director in Kuwait's Ministry of Trade.

"The Kuwaiti market is open for UAE meat produced locally. But it is not open for what the UAE re-exports from banned countries - India, Pakistan, Africa, Iran and the EU," he said. "The UAE itself banned the import of meat from those countries, and this is still on. Our ban on UAE re-exported meat will stay until those countries solve their problem."

Rashid said that Indian and Pakistani cattle are infected with mad cow, Iran's with foot and mouth, and the EU's and Africa's with Rift Valley Fever. Saudi Arabia has the largest number of cattle, but the majority of Gulf countries, like Kuwait and the UAE, procure their meat requirements from Australia, Iran and Africa.

"Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also took joint precautionary measures and banned the exchange of meat imports from both countries. Kuwait gets its meat now from Arab countries, like Egypt," he said.

He denied reports that the ban resulted after the discovery of diseased livestock in the UAE. "This has not been proven by anybody. Again, the ban is precautionary." On the saga of the UAE local meat producers, Rashid said, "They should be asked whether their production covers local demand, and whether they really have surplus for export."