G/LIC/Q/IDN/35  
 
8 October 2015  
(15-5244)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Import Licensing  Original: English  
 
  IMPORT LICENSING SYSTEM OF INDONESIA 
REPLIES FROM INDONESIA TO AUSTRALIA CONCERNING  
INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF THE IMPORTATION  
OF CARCASS MEAT AND/OR PROCESSED MEAT PRODUCTS (G/LIC/Q/IDN/34) 
The following communication, dated 8 September 2015,  is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Indonesia. 
 
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1. Can Indonesia please explain in deta il the objectives of the regulations? 
 Reply: 
 
The objectives of Minister of Trade Regulation No. 46/2013  are as follows:  
a. To enhance consumer protection  
b. To preserve natural resources  
c. To provide business certainty, transparency and to simplify Lisencing process, and  
d. To improve import administration  
 
The objectives of Minister of Agriculture Regulation No. 139/2014 as stipulated in Article 2 
are as follows:  
a. To protect human, animal life or health and environment  
b. To ensure that importers fulfilled all the safety, security, wholly, healthy, and halal 
requirements.  
c. To ensure that imported carcass, meat and/or processed meat products are free from 
zoonosis and animal infectious disease, chemical or physical hazardous materials; and  
d. To ensure the smoothness and certainty in the importation of carcass, meat and/or its 
processed products.  
 
The objective of Minister of Agricultur e Regulation No. 2/2015  is to amend Minister of 
Agriculture No. 139/2014 in order to fulfil the national food supply, to anticipate price fluctuation, inflation and force majeure condition.  
  
The importation of carcass and secondary cuts as stipulated in Article 23.3 MoA Regulation 
No. 2/2015 can only be done by State-Owned Enterprises because the distribution of carcass, 
meat and/or processed meat products in domestic market was not accompanied by a price 
adjustment in the market which is reflected by hi gh price in domestic market at the time of the 
importation.  Therefore, the importation by Stat e-Owned Enterprises is expected to improve the 
distribution chain so the market price can reflec t the demand and supply of meat in the market. 
This circumstance is in line with the provisions of Article XVII GATT 1994 concerning State Trading 
Enterprises.  
 G/LIC/Q/IDN/35 
 
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  2.  Can Indonesia explain how the import rest rictions on secondary beef cuts and offal 
are consistent with Indonesia’s obligations  under the Agreement on Import Licensing 
Procedures, including the obligations under Arti cles 2.2(a) and 3.2 that import licensing 
procedures shall not have trade-restrictive effects?   
 
Reply:  
The basic reasons of secondary beef cuts and offal restriction is to reduce the circulation of those 
products related to health reason (having an adve rse effect on human health). This restriction is 
done with the aim to protect the security, safety  and health of human, animals, plants and the 
environment as permitted in the General Exception Article XX (b) GATT.  
 
While with the issuance of MoA Regulation No . 139/2014 jo. No. 2/2015, Indonesia remains open 
its market to imported carcass, meat and/or processed meat products. Nevertheless, the imported 
carcass, meat and/or processed meat products sha ll comply and fulfil the food safety standard as 
evidenced by Certificate of Veterinary and Halal Certification.    
3.  Can Indonesia explain how its import perm it system for beef and cattle, including its 
issuance of permits on a quarterly basis, is consistent with Indonesia’s obligations that 
import licensing procedures not have tr ade-restrictive effects and be no more 
administratively burdensome than necessary? 
 
Reply: 
 
Import permit system for beef and cattle is consistent with Indonesia’s obligation in Import 
Licensing Agreement. Permit issuance on quarterly basis aims to improve import arrangement and better supervision due to its perishable nature of the products. This mechanism is not 
administratively burdensome because importers have the certainty to obtain online import licenses 
whereby the processing time of issuance has been predetermined. Furthermore, in the implementation, the importers are also provided with a license renewal for 1 month.  
 
 
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