The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) announced that it has finalized the animal health requirements and the health certificate for animal quarantine with Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health for exports of boneless beef to the Middle Eastern nation. Korean exporters may now sell beef there provided that it meets the agreed conditions and Qatar-recognised halal standards.
Efforts to gain access to the Qatari market began following a working-level meeting in April between the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Qatar and Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH). At the meeting, Qatari officials indicated that imports of boneless Hanwoo beef could be permitted. The MAFRA subsequently submitted a formal market-access request, and the two governments began working out the necessary health conditions and certification procedures.
As a result, the MOPH officially registered the Republic of Korea in August as a country eligible to export boneless beef under its regulations. In early September, the ministry confirmed that all procedures required for Hanwoo beef exports had been completed. Qatar is now the third halal market open to Hanwoo beef, following Malaysia in 2023 and the United Arab Emirates in 2025.
List of Precautionary Requirements and Measures for Imported Food, Qatar Ministry of Public Health, issued on 10 August 2026 --
Eligible products are chilled or frozen boneless beef.
After slaughter, beef for export must undergo a specified period of natural aging, and the head, feet, tail, and internal organs must be removed.
Qatar established these requirements to manage the risk of foot-and-mouth disease, and they have been incorporated into the health requirements and the health certificate agreed upon by the two countries. Accordingly, Korean exporter Hoengseong KC Co., Ltd., which operates a halal-certified slaughterhouse and processing facility, plans to ship 100 kg of chilled beef to Qatar in early October as its first export consignment.
