The Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued memorandum orders (MO) banning the entry of imported meat from countries with animal disease outbreaks.
The DA has issued a temporary ban on the importation of live cattle, meat and meat products, bovine processed animal proteins and semen derived from cattle coming from the Netherlands.
Under MO 16 series of 2023 signed only last Friday, the entry of cattle products from the Netherlands are temporarily banned due to the reported outbreak of the mad cow disease.
The DA, however, said all cattle shipments from the Netherlands that are in transit, loaded or accepted in ports before the temporary ban will be allowed, provided these were slaughtered or produced on or before January 1, 2023.
Meanwhile, the agency ordered a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs and semen originating also from Turkey.
Under MO 15 series of 2023 also signed last Friday, the government of Turkey confirmed an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Asagihilal, Afyon.
The authorities said shipments from Turkey already in transit, loaded or accepted in ports before the ban will be allowed, provided the products were slaughtered or produced on or before January 17, 2023.
Both orders entail the immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for the cited commodities.
Based on data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the Netherlands in 2022 supplied the Philippines a total of 4.85 million kilograms (kg) of beef, equivalent to 2.6 percent of the 186.15 million kg. total beef imports that year.
As of end-January 2023, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said 228,321 kg of beef from the Netherlands equal to 1.8 percent of the total 12.51 million kg shipped to the Philippines during the period.
Turkey last year supplied the Philippines a total of 6.37 million kg of chicken equivalent to 1.5 percent of the 411.07 million kg. total chicken imports in 2022.
As of end-January 2023, chicken imported from Turkey totaled 405,000 kg or 1.3 percent of the total 30.34 million kg for the period.
