PHL imposes ban on French poultry products
by Ada Pelonia, https://www.facebook.com/, https://www.facebook.com/BusinessMirror/ · BusinessMirror- Ada Pelonia
- September 30, 2024
- 2 minute read
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has slapped a temporary ban on poultry products from France due to a bird flu outbreak detected in one of its cities.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued Memorandum Order (MO) 40, which authorized the imposition of the ban. Laurel said the ban was put in place to prevent the entry of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus in the country.
The DA banned domestic and wild birds from France after it reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) an outbreak of H5 (N untyped) HPAI in Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France last August 7.
The ban also included the products of domestic and wild birds, such as poultry meat, day-old chicks, and eggs and semen.
Laurel also ordered the immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) to the said commodity.
“All shipments coming from France that are in transit/ loaded/ accepted unto port before the official communication of this Order to the French authorities shall be allowed provided that the products were slaughtered/ produced on or before 25 July 2024,” the order read.
Manila lifted the ban on French poultry products last April following the declaration of Paris that there were no additional bird flu outbreaks after February 29. The DA issued MO 16 in April which authorized the easing of the restrictions that the government imposed in January.
Meanwhile, data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that the country’s meat imports grew by nearly 10 percent in the first semester, driven by higher chicken and pork purchases abroad.
Meat imports increased by 9.64 percent to 647,745 metric tons (MT) from January to June this year, compared to the 590,766 MT recorded in the same period in 2023, based on BAI data.
Brazil was the top supplier of beef and chicken imports at 30,519 MT and 121,135 MT, respectively. France delivered 19 MT of chicken to the Philippines.
In terms of pork imports, BAI data showed that Spain was the country’s biggest supplier, accounting for 80,737 MT.
The United States Department of Agriculture-Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila (USDA-FAS Manila) recently said in its latest report that the country’s meat imports are expected to rise next year due to population growth and “a positive economic outlook.”
“FAS Manila forecasts 2025 beef imports to increase to 226,000 metric tons [MT] carcass weight equivalent [CWE],” the report read. (See: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2024/08/22/phl-meat-imports-seen-to-grow-in-2025/)
“Continued greater-than-six-percent economic growth and forecasted population increases support strong consumer purchasing power which will push beef imports higher in 2025.”
Image credits: BusinessMirror file photo
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