ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan on Wednesday released a study on the meat sector in Pakistan for public comments, covering issues such as price monitoring and quality of meat and also exploring the growth potential of the sector. A study has been conducted as part of the assessments the CCP undertakes to understand competition issues in sectors that have implications for consumers. Meat is one of the heaviest weighed essential food items in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The livestock sector fulfils the country’s meat, milk and poultry demand. CCP in its report has identified ineffective price and quality monitoring at the district level that result in high price and low quality of meat that affects both urban and rural consumers. Smuggling of animals to neighbouring Afghanistan is also an issue that affects availability at affordable price to domestic consumers. Meat production in Pakistan is mostly an unregulated informal activity. The meat industry is marred with many challenges including the low yield per animal, poor animal feed, lack of awareness among livestock breeders related to breeds and veterinary care, and disease control. Also, poor slaughtering methods and lack of accessibility to the Animal Mandis (markets) leads to low quality of meat products and excessive pricing. The report says that establishing new slaughterhouses and improving facilities at the existing ones is necessary to ensure quality safeguards. Moreover, increasing the accessibility of farmers to the Animal Mandis is essential for providing quality meat to consumers at reasonable prices. Therefore, CCP recommends a public-private partnership to run the government slaughterhouses for efficiency and quality and to increase animal mandis so that farmers can easily access them. CCP also recommends that price setting, which takes place every six to twelve months, needs to be regulated during the interim periods and meat prices should be based on both the quality of the meat and its grading. Another market identified by CCP is the growing international demand for Halal meat and meat products. The demand for Halal meat has been growing globally. Pakistan produces 100 percent Halal meat and export of halal meat and meat products can be a significant source of foreign exchange earnings. CCP has acknowledged efforts of the Government, especially the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, which has undertaken certain regulatory measures to encourage livestock sector and for the establishment of value added meat market in the country. Section 28 of the Competition Act empowers CCP to conduct studies for promoting competition in all sectors of commercial economic activity. The study on meat sector is available on the Commission’s website, www.cc.gov.pk.