The Department of Agriculture (DA) has granted a three-year accreditation to meat exporters from Brazil, Germany, Hungary, and Poland, following inspections confirming compliance with international animal health standards.
The accreditation is crucial for ensuring the safety of imported meat. It guarantees that cattle, swine, and poultry products are free of diseases that could threaten both Filipino consumers and the domestic livestock industry, the DA said.
Based on the review of meat establishments, 36 German meat companies exporting beef, pork, chicken, and turkey and 48 Brazilian meat establishments have passed the compliance test by the DA.
In Poland, 12 meat suppliers for pork and beef were likewise accredited and another three firms from Hungary supplying pork, chicken, duck, and geese.
Accreditation is valid until February 2027. Exporters must strictly adhere to all regulations and conditions outlined by the DA.
The DA said exporter accreditation is necessary to ensure cattle, swine, and poultry meat sourced from abroad are free of pathogens and other diseases that could pose a risk to Filipinos and the multi-billion-peso domestic livestock and poultry industry.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order No. 50 extending lower tariffs on pork, corn, and rice for another year until Dec. 31, 2024.
The government said the extension of lower tariff on imported pork was meant to keep food prices stable due to the expected negative effect of the El Niño weather phenomenon and the continuing presence of African Swine Fever affecting domestic pork production.
In a report, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) said that pork production for the Philippines will increase to 970,000 metric tons (MT) in 2024 compared to 2023’s forecast of 950,000 MT.