Most meat imported from India to Armenia is "unfit for human consumption" In 2009, the Armenian government declared that frozen buffalo meat had been discovered in meat imported from India to Armenia. It turns out that there are 17 companies in India that are certified and meet required standards and that they supply 85% of the market. Only 21% of the meat imported to Armenia comes from these companies. At a previous cabinet session of the Armenian government it was decided to only allow the importation of Indian meat from four companies that had satisfactorily passed a inspection by an Armenian team sent to India. It was also decided that an Armenian representative should be posted to India to make on-site inspections. This decision has yet to be put into practice. Grisha Baghinyan, Chief of the Food and Livestock Safety Inspectorate at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Hetq that, "The government has taken appropriate steps in that direction and passed a decision regarding such a job posting. The individual selected should start working in a few days." Mr. Baghinyan added that the individual would answer directly to the government and not the ministry.