PH partially lifts ban on Brazil meat imports
THE Philippines partially lifted the temporary import ban on mechanically deboned meat (MDM) from Brazil, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Monday.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar issued Memorandum Order (MO) 42, which temporarily lifts the moratorium on the importation of MDM of poultry from the South American country, subject to certain conditions.
Under the memo, only foreign meat establishments, whose meat plant workers tested negative against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), shall be allowed to export poultry meat.
“Addition attestation shall be included in the veterinary health certificate that the meat was handled and processed in facilities with functional food safety management system, and where stringent hygiene and sanitation measures are practiced,’” it said.
Furthermore, the directive states the poultry products must carry a safe handling label and that all importation must be for the sole use of the accredited meat processor in the manufacture of heat-treated products.
“All shipments into the country not complying with foregoing conditions shall be confiscated by DA veterinary quarantine officers/inspectors at all major ports of entry,” it added.
The Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (Pampi) welcomed the move, saying the industry can forge ahead with entering into contracts with Brazilian suppliers to ensure stability and cost-efficiency of MDM raw material used in the production of processed meats.
“We recognize that the ban was lifted because the DA and the Brazil ministry of agriculture worked together to address issues related to food safety in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic engulfing Brazil,’’ Pampi President Felix Tiukinhoy Jr. said in a statement on Monday.
With the lifting of the MDM ban on Brazil, meat processors assure the government and consumers that prices of processed meats will remain generally stable for the rest of the year.
On August 14, the DA promulgated MO 39, which banned the importation of poultry meat from Brazil, following reports that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected in a sampling of chicken meat imported by China from Brazil. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes Covid-19.
Pampi previously asked Dar to modify the ban on poultry products by exempting MDM as it had an adverse impact on the sourcing and inventory of MDM materials, which are delivered on a just-in-time basis.
At present, Brazil is the second largest supplier of MDM to the country, accounting for about 20 to 25 percent of the total volume of imported raw materials.
Before the issuance of MO 42, the Brazilian government urged its Philippine counterpart to immediately remove the temporary ban, saying the Asian nation “has not presented any scientific evidence” for enforcing such a restriction.
“The Philippine government’s current imposition of a temporary ban over imports of Brazilian poultry meat did not follow the necessary and mandatory principles and steps foreseen on Article 5 of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), and, therefore, is in clear violation of Article 5 of the WTO SPS Agreement,” Brazil’s Ministry of External Relations and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply had said.