"As they consume halal products, they are coming here to check whether the practice is executed according to the books, and to visit the plants," said Mr Turra.

The executive added that visits by importers are routine and do not mean concern with the quality of the product. In the case of Egypt, as there was a change in political regime, with the fall of dictator Hosni Mubarak, "It is now necessary to re-evaluate everything," he pointed out.

Mr Turra added that Brazil "is a model" in halal slaughter and that representatives in the sector are usually called to speak in international events about how the Country adopted and developed the practice. Halal, which means "permissible" in Arabic, is preparation of foods and other products according to Islamic tradition.

To the executive, Egypt is a "great market" that bought "an incredible volume" of 124,400 tonnes from Brazil in 2010, equivalent to US$197 million. With the political crisis, exports dropped 42.1 per cent, to 72,000 tonnes, or US$ 121.8 million in 2011.

"There is space for recovery of what was lost last year," said Mr Turra. To him, Egypt is "focused on Brazil". "They like our product and also like doing business with Brazilians," he pointed out.

Chicken exports to Egypt gained strength late last decade, when the country had cases of avian flu and local production was practically extinguished. Prior to that, the market was protectionist and there were barriers for imports of the product from Brazil.