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The Philippines partially lifted the temporary import ban on mechanically deboned meat (MDM) from Brazil, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Monday.
The Secretary of Agriculture, William Dar, issued Memorandum of Order (MO) 42, which temporarily lifts the moratorium on the importation of MDM from poultry from the South American country, subject to certain conditions.
According to the memorandum, only foreign meat establishments, whose meat plant workers tested negative for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), will be able to export poultry meat.
“An additional statement that the meat was handled and processed in facilities with a functional food safety management system and where strict hygiene and sanitation measures are practiced will be included in the veterinary health certificate,” he said.
In addition, the directive establishes that poultry products must carry a safe handling label and that all imports must be for the exclusive use of the meat processor accredited in the manufacture of heat-treated products.
“All shipments to the country that do not meet the above conditions will be confiscated by DA veterinary quarantine inspectors / officers at all major ports of entry,” he added.
The Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (Pampi) welcomed the move and said the industry can move forward with contracting with Brazilian suppliers to ensure the stability and profitability of the MDM raw material used in the production of processed meats.
“We acknowledge that the ban was lifted because the DA and the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture worked together to address problems related to food safety amid the Covid-19 pandemic affecting Brazil,” said Pampi President Felix Tiukinhoy Jr., in a statement Monday.
With the lifting of the ban on MDM in Brazil, meat processors are assuring the government and consumers that prices for processed meats will remain generally stable for the rest of the year.
On August 14, the DA enacted MO 39, which banned the import of poultry meat from Brazil, following reports that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected in a sample 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 just-in-time.
Today, Brazil is the second largest MDM supplier in 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 lift the temporary ban, saying the Asian nation “has not presented any scientific evidence” to enforce such a restriction.
“The current imposition by the Philippine government of a temporary ban on imports of Brazilian poultry meat did not follow the necessary and mandatory principles and steps provided in Article 5 of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Measures Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS Agreement), and, therefore, it is in clear violation of Article 5 of the WTO SPS Agreement ”, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply.
