On Wednesday, Cabinet decided to suspend the production and export of heat-processed meat and meat products until the end of this year to eliminate all violations and shortcomings identified during a recent inspection and ensure food quality and safety requirements and standards.

Head of the General Agency of Specialized Inspection (GASI) B.Baasandorj was instructed to strengthen inspections of operations of slaughterhouses and meat processing plants and to revoke the production licenses of companies that violated the law.

Premier L.Oyun-Erdene also tasked Deputy Prime Minister S.Amarsaikhan, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry Z.Mendsaikhan, Mayor of Ulaanbaatar D.Sumiyabazar and Head of GASI B.Baasandorj to identify controlled and restricted zones for heat-processed meat and meat products and relocate plants in stages.

Cabinet also instructed officials to improve the capacities of state-owned laboratories, to study and introduce a unified system, and to hold guilty officials accountable under the law.

Deputy Prime Minister S.Amarsaikhan informed, “Due to non-compliance with official duties, the entire management members of the Specialized Inspection Division in Songinokhairkhan District will be replaced and some officials of the Ulaanbaatar Specialized Inspection Agency and GASI will be dismissed, replaced and held accountable.”

Head of GASI B.Baasandorj said, “We conducted internal inspections on issues related to meat processing plants. We found that the three inspectors who inspected slaughterhouses and meat processing plants were irresponsible and may have a conflict of interest. Therefore, relevant actions will be taken in accordance with the Civil Service Law and Law on Regulating Public and Private Interests in Public Service and Preventing Conflicts of Interest.

Three inspectors will be fired and transferred to a law enforcement agency for further inspection. In addition, some officials of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry and the Mongolian Agency for Standardization and Metrology will be reprimanded.”

Moreover, during the meeting, Cabinet approved technical regulations for meat production and trade. GASI and the General Authority for Veterinary Services will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of technical regulations.

Technical regulations include general and special requirements for the health of animals for food preparation, the structure and organization of slaughterhouses and meat processing plants, equipment, technological hygiene, and refrigeration facilities.

It also reflects requirements for the health, hygiene and sanitation of employees and technical requirements for the transportation and sales of meat and meat products, as well as regulations related to human resource capacity and certification systems.

Technical regulations on the production and sales of meat and meat products will be enforced nationwide from January 1, 2023. The document has 10 chapters, 41 articles, 615 provisions and five appendices.

Cabinet also made the following decisions:

• The second coal briquette plant has been commissioned in the eastern part of Ulaanbaatar. In connection with this, Cabinet added Nalaikh District to the air quality improvement zone and decided to allow its residents to use coal briquettes.

• Cabinet decided to withdraw the draft amendment to the Law on Prosecutors, which was developed in connection with the draft Criminal Procedure Code.

• The Government Reserve Fund will provide 1.5 billion MNT for the organization of the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam 2022 International Judo Championship.

• Cabinet decided to discuss the issue of acceding to the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting with the relevant parliamentary standing committee.

• Procedures for refunding, registering, reporting and monitoring social insurance premiums have been approved.