PHL suspends issuance of SPSICS for frozen fish
MANILA has suspended the issuance of import clearances to institutional buyers, processors and canners for certain frozen fish products as the government tightens its regulations on fish imports.
However, the national government would still allow certain institutional buyers and processors to import fish products as long as they comply with the additional regulatory requirements.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) issued Administrative Circular (AC) 11 that suspended the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICS) for roundscad, bonito, mackerel, moonfish, pompano and tuna.
The issuance of SPSIC is required prior to any food importation as it certifies that the inbound shipments are safe for human consumption and does not pose any threat to the local animal health population.
In AC 11, Senior Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban said the government suspended the SPSICS of certain fish imports for institutional buyers and processors to “prevent” the diversion of said supplies to the wet markets.
The AC 11 established a traceability system that allowed the government to monitor the movement of imported fish products by institutional buyers, processors and canners by requiring additional documents.
The spotlight was trained on the Bureau of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in recent weeks following its intensified efforts to curb the diversion of frozen fish products for institutional buyers to wet markets.
Under existing rules and regulations, frozen fish products imported by institutional buyers and processors cannot be sold in the wet markets. Also, institutional buyers, processors and canners may import frozen fish products sans a certificate of necessity issued by pertinent authorities as long as they secure SPSICS for their inbound shipments.
BFAR’S recent campaign against the illegal diversion of imported fish products cut short after some quarters and senators opposed it. They argued that the campaign would exacerbate the increase in local food prices as it would create supply constraints.
Under AC 11, canners are now temporarily disallowed from importing roundscad and moonfish.
The issuance of SPSICS for the importation of roundscad, bonito, mackerel, moonfish, pompano and tuna by-products for the use of processors has been suspended as well. However, some processors that will comply with additional requirements imposed by the DA may still be allowed to import the said fish products.
Conditions
UNDER AC 11, processors and importers who supply raw materials to processors with a License to Operate issued by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration, are compliant with existing food safety standards, and with a “verifiable” recording system of production may still import fish products.
“For importers supplying raw materials to processors, the species and volume of the products to be imported and the receiving processors thereof must be pre-identified in the application of the SPSIC and shall not be allowed to be supplied to any other processor,” AC 11 read.
“Provided further that, for importation destined for new processors, the same shall be allowed only upon verification by BFAR of the production capacity of the new processor which shall maintain a verifiable recording system for all its importation.”
The issuance of SPSICS for the importation of roundscad, bonito, mackerel, and moonfish for institutional buyers was also suspended unless they comply with the additional import requirements, according to AC 11.
“The institutional buyer must have a verifiable recording system. For this purpose, a verifiable record of consumption by institutional buyers shall contain, among others, the following information: name of importer and species and volume of imported fish delivered and the corresponding dates of deliveries.”
Institutional buyers are now also required to present pertinent documents during the BFAR’S conduct of verification of the disposition report: supply agreement, purchase order, or any other proof of contract with institutional buyer; delivery receipt with the name and complete address of institutional buyer; withdrawal records from the cold storage; local transport permit; proof of ownership of cold storage or cold storage warehouse agreement.
The DA said all importers (institutional buyers, processors and canners) must submit a disposition report of their previous importation to be verified by the BFAR for the new issuances of SPSICS.
“All importations under FAO [Fisheries Administrative Order] 195 shall be recorded or submitted by the importers to an electronic recording system provided or prescribed by BFAR within twenty four [24] hours from the time of delivery by the importer to the processor or institutional buyer,” AC 11 read.
“Importers allowed to import for processing and institutional buyers shall be solidarily liable with their client processor or institutional buyer for violation of importation rules and regulations, including diversion of the imported products to wet markets. For this purpose, a prima facie presumption of collusion between the importer and the processor or institutional buyer to commit such violation is hereby established.”
BFAR is currently reviewing FAO 195, which outlined the rules and regulations for the importation of frozen fish products in the country, after some groups said it is already outdated.
Food security advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan backed the efforts of BFAR to review and update FAO 195 and called on the bureau to focus its efforts on smugglers and importers, who are diverting fish products to the wet market in violation of existing regulations.
Tugon Kabuhayan also welcomed the issuance of AC 11, noting that the measure would be helpful in addressing the “diversion” of imported frozen products to wet markets.