Bahrain notified USDA’s office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 3 that U.S. poultry will be allowed to enter Bahrain indefinitely on the same previously followed protocol, which was a larger packaging commonly used by U.S. exporters. This is a welcome sign for U.S. poultry exporters as well as various Bahraini importers who prefer bulk poultry packages versus smaller, more expensive packages. ACHD also indicated that any new proposed requirement will be sent through the proper trade channels, most notably the WTO.
In September 2020, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)/Riyadh was informed by Bahraini U.S. chicken meat importers as well as U.S. industry representatives in the region that the Animal Control & Health Directorate (ACHD) of Bahrain would implement a new bulk chicken meat packaging requirement on October 10, 2020. ACHD informed Bahraini importers that U.S. chicken leg quarters must be packed into a 3×5 kg package instead of the common 15kg packages, which are used by at least 90 percent of the U.S. industry. According to various contacts in the region, ACHD’s sudden policy change was so abrupt that many Bahraini importers could not meet the new standard. The policy was also not notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO) forcing the United States and other trading partners to seek additional clarification from ACHD, according to a USDA GAIN report.
Following requests by U.S. industry representatives as well as numerous Bahraini importers, FAS/Riyadh along with various USG partners negotiated a grace period for U.S. poultry packaging requirements until February 28, 2021. The grace period helped resolve the issue as well as extend the requirement to a later date.
ACHD also requested that U.S. poultry exporters and producers assure that future packages are hygienic and meet the minimum quality specifications, such as completely removing feathers from the final product. The Directorate requested that “plastic bags be tightly sealed and fully protected by a carton box to assure the presentation and quality of the bulk chicken meat product.” ACHD indicated that U.S. chicken leg quarters are packed in such a way that it compromises the hygiene of the final product. FAS/Riyadh does not anticipate any stoppages to trade as a result, but it is a great reminder to assure the final package meets Bahrain’s specifications in order for trade to continue uninterrupted.
The United States exports mostly chicken leg quarters to Bahrain, but that decreased by 14 percent in 2020 due to hesitation from importers about the smaller packaging requirement. The negative effect of the smaller packaging requirement continued through the first three months of 2021.
According to the U.S. Customs data, the United States exported only 700 metric tons of poultry meat to Bahrain from January – March 2021, a reduction of 51 percent compared to 1,427 metric tons during the same period in 2020. In 2020, the U.S. poultry/poultry product exports were approximately $3.9 million to Bahrain.
The United States was the third largest supplier to Bahrain with 5,028 metric tons, or an eight percent market share.
