The General Organization for Veterinary Services (GOVS) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt has officially notified the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) that milk and dairy products will no longer require Halal certification upon import into Egypt.
This decision was announced on March 12, 2025, following several previous extensions of the implementation deadline.
Background and Regulatory Updates
On August 6, 2023, the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS) published a new national standard, ES 4249/2023 – “General Requirements for Halal Food According to Islamic Sharia”, which replaced ES 2429/2014.
This updated standard outlines the general requirements for Halal food production in accordance with Islamic Sharia law across all stages of food manufacturing.
Although the standard does not explicitly cover milk and dairy products, since 2021 the GOVS had planned to enforce Halal certification for these categories. The enforcement was postponed multiple times in response to concerns from trade partners and domestic importers.
With the latest WTO notification, milk and dairy imports to Egypt are now exempt from the Halal certification requirement — effectively removing a significant trade barrier for exporters in this product group.
Impact on Vietnamese and Global Exporters
This regulatory change represents positive news for dairy exporters, including those from Vietnam, as it simplifies market access and reduces compliance costs for trade with Egypt.
Vietnamese exporters of milk powder, condensed milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy derivatives can now export to Egypt without undergoing the Halal certification process, provided that all other food safety and labeling requirements are met.
Official Notification
The announcement was published under “TBT Notification – Egypt Halal WTO Notification (March 12, 2025)”, and exporters are encouraged to review the full document for detailed guidance.
The Vietnam Trade Office in Egypt has shared the official WTO notification to assist Vietnamese exporters in understanding and complying with the latest Egyptian import regulations.