The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday lifted the ban on imported beef products from Brazil just a week after imposing the temporary measure.
Under Memorandum Order (MO) No. 25 series of 2023 dated March 28, the DA allowed anew the importation of live cattle, meat and meat products, bovine processed animal proteins and semen derived from cattle from Brazil.
The Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI), in reaction, said the ban should not have been implemented in the first place.
Precious Chua-Yu, PAMPI secretary, on Tuesday said Brazil has notified local authorities of the containment of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) prior to the issuance of the temporary ban.
She said the imposition of the ban was a result of “miscommunication.”
The ban was imposed through MO No. 23 series of 2023 dated March 22, three weeks after Brazilian officials notified World Organization for Animal Health that the local outbreak of BSE in Maraba, Para had been contained.
The supply of beef from Brazil is of critical importance for local meat processors as it adequately meets the country’s demand for the commodity.
