CLARK FREEPORT – The Department of Agriculture (DA) is ready with an administrative order (AO) requiring meat vendors to have either coolers or freezers for their meat products being sold even in wet markets nationwide.
This, amid warnings of the continuing collapse of the country’s P350-billion livestock and poultry industry due to continuing legal and illegal, as well as misdeclaration of imported meats, with the swine industry alone losing P850 million monthly since last August.
In an interview with Punto, party list Rep. Nicanor Briones of the Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (ASAP) said his group had batted for the AO amid following exposes on double dead or “botcha” meat being cold in wet markets.
“The fact is consumers’ health is endangered not only by botcha but also by how fresh meat is handled and sold in wet markets. There is always the danger of the meat being affected by salmonella,” he said, adding that the AO has been finalized and is expected to be enforced by the DA anytime.
Briones lamented the failure of the Bureau of Customs, the Department of Finance and the DA curb not only smuggling but also misdeclaration of meat products. He cited findings by his group that about 70 percent of pork imports are declared as pork fat, skin, innards and other such parts whose tariff is only five percent.
“The fact is they are prime pork cuts whose tariff is 35 percent,” he noted.
He decried the wrong priorities of the BoC, such as in its drive against car smuggling.
“The agency should hit car smuggling, but it should not neglect the bigger agriculture industry which provides livelihood not only for livestock and poultry raisers but for producers of animal feed as they number by the millions,” he said.
“One obvious case of smuggling is the proliferation of Peking ducks being sold in restaurants. If they are authentic Peking ducks, how could they have been allowed to enter the country since we have again a resurgence of bird flu in China?” he asked.
“If our law enforcers are serious, they can probe restaurant owners, trace the source of the ducks, and pin down the Customs official and other government officials who could have been involved in allowing the entry of the ducks into the country,” he said.
Briones reported that since last August, competition posed by low-costing imported meat had compelled local swine producers to sell their livestock at the liveweight price of P82 per kilo, despite the cost of raising the animals at P92 per kilo.
“This means we have been losing by P10 per kilo in one swine whose average weight is 85 kilos, which leads to losses of P850 per swine. The country consumes about 10,000 heads per day,” he noted.
He cited reports from the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) indicating that 158 million kilos of pork have already been imported since last January. He noted this is much higher than the 144 million kilos imported in 2009.
“Our estimate is that of the 158 million kilos which are covered by import permits issued by BAI, 70 percent were misdeclared pork fats, skins, and other such parts which are subject to less tax,” he said.
Briones expressed fears that with the way the government is handling pork importation, it is likely that more imported meat will enter the country in time for the increase in demand for meat during the Christmas holidays.
This, amid warnings of the continuing collapse of the country’s P350-billion livestock and poultry industry due to continuing legal and illegal, as well as misdeclaration of imported meats, with the swine industry alone losing P850 million monthly since last August.
In an interview with Punto, party list Rep. Nicanor Briones of the Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (ASAP) said his group had batted for the AO amid following exposes on double dead or “botcha” meat being cold in wet markets.
“The fact is consumers’ health is endangered not only by botcha but also by how fresh meat is handled and sold in wet markets. There is always the danger of the meat being affected by salmonella,” he said, adding that the AO has been finalized and is expected to be enforced by the DA anytime.
Briones lamented the failure of the Bureau of Customs, the Department of Finance and the DA curb not only smuggling but also misdeclaration of meat products. He cited findings by his group that about 70 percent of pork imports are declared as pork fat, skin, innards and other such parts whose tariff is only five percent.
“The fact is they are prime pork cuts whose tariff is 35 percent,” he noted.
He decried the wrong priorities of the BoC, such as in its drive against car smuggling.
“The agency should hit car smuggling, but it should not neglect the bigger agriculture industry which provides livelihood not only for livestock and poultry raisers but for producers of animal feed as they number by the millions,” he said.
“One obvious case of smuggling is the proliferation of Peking ducks being sold in restaurants. If they are authentic Peking ducks, how could they have been allowed to enter the country since we have again a resurgence of bird flu in China?” he asked.
“If our law enforcers are serious, they can probe restaurant owners, trace the source of the ducks, and pin down the Customs official and other government officials who could have been involved in allowing the entry of the ducks into the country,” he said.
Briones reported that since last August, competition posed by low-costing imported meat had compelled local swine producers to sell their livestock at the liveweight price of P82 per kilo, despite the cost of raising the animals at P92 per kilo.
“This means we have been losing by P10 per kilo in one swine whose average weight is 85 kilos, which leads to losses of P850 per swine. The country consumes about 10,000 heads per day,” he noted.
He cited reports from the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) indicating that 158 million kilos of pork have already been imported since last January. He noted this is much higher than the 144 million kilos imported in 2009.
“Our estimate is that of the 158 million kilos which are covered by import permits issued by BAI, 70 percent were misdeclared pork fats, skins, and other such parts which are subject to less tax,” he said.
Briones expressed fears that with the way the government is handling pork importation, it is likely that more imported meat will enter the country in time for the increase in demand for meat during the Christmas holidays.
