The Government of Mongolia has announced to suspend the processing, production, and exports of thermal-treated meat until January 1, 2023, as well as to restrain the operations and terminate the licenses of 16 companies out of 31 operating in this field.

“Technical Regulation on Production and Commerce of Meat and Meat Products” was enacted according to the Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Light Industry Z.Mendsaikhan.

Implementation of the above-mentioned regulation will contribute to protecting public health, developing the production of value-added and hygienic meat products, expanding the Mongolian livestock meat export market, and increasing economic efficiency. Also, a plan is in place for the gradual relocation of thermal meat processing plants operating in Ulaanbaatar to a unified industrial park.

Pre and post-slaughtering inspections are absent in 90 percent of livestock, which is slaughtered in unsanitary conditions, harming Mongolia’s food security and creating an environment for the animal-to-human transmission of diseases.

The meat industry, particularly exports, is one of the most promising avenues for Mongolia to diversify its economy away from overreliance on extractive industries such as mining. Mongolia now exports at least 29,300 tonnes of meat annually, however, this number is relatively low compared to the national livestock herd of over 70 million livestock. Due to several constraints that hinder export growth, Mongolia cannot export its agricultural products to its full capacity. One of the main challenges for Mongolian meat exporters is to identify key destination markets for their products and the know-how to access them. Examining the conditions to access these markets of interest would thus help strengthen the export capacity of Mongolian meat exporters.