The Philippine Association of Feed Millers (PAFMI), the largest association of feed millers in the country, has urged government to continue the ban on all imported poultry meat from Brazil.
This developed after the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI), one of the largest groups of meat processing companies in the country, sought to exempt mechanically deboned meat (MDM) chicken from the ban as it could result in shortage of processed chicken meat products here.
As a result, PAFMI sought help from Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who also serves as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
"We ask the IATF, along with other relevant and concerned agencies, to continuously implement the ban and impose stricter protocols and measures to prohibit the entry of contaminated meat and poultry products in the country," said PAFMI President Nicole Sarmiento-Garcia.
"As always, we commit to support and actively take part in the government’s further actions on this matter," she added.
Last week, Agriculture Secretary William Dar issued an import ban against all poultry meat from Brazil following reports that the Latin American country has been shutting down its meat establishments due to rising COVID-19 cases among meat workers as well as the pronouncement of China that it detected the virus from the surface of some frozen chicken wings it imported from Brazil.
"At these unpredictable times, it is with the greatest reason to protect and safeguard our country’s food safety and ensure clean and healthy foods on our tables," said Garcia.
According to her, PAFMI mainly relies on locally farmed and raised poultry and livestock for sustained business operations. Thus, a threat to these sectors is likewise a threat to them in the feed milling industry.
PAFMI currently produces 70 percent of the animal feeds consumed locally. It has 33 member companies including San Miguel Corporation, General Milling Corporation, La Filipina Uygongco Corporation, Pilmico Foods and Universal Robina Corporation among others.
Boosting PAFMI position was the pronouncement by Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Director Ronnie Domingo that despite the aforementioned import ban, the Philippines will not have a shortage of poultry meat.
On MDM chicken, which the Philippines don’t necessarily produce amid lack of facilities, Domingo said the government will review the documents it asked from Brazilian meat producers to ensure that the products they are exporting to the Philippines are safe from COVID-19 virus.
“For now, all the poultry meat products are banned. We will study the documents that Brazil will send to us. There’s a TWG who will decide on this,” Domingo said.
PAMPI, however, insisted that the said ban could affect their supply of MDM chicken, which they use as a raw material to process their meat products.
For his part, Ricardo Santin, Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA) Chief Executive Officer, said the decision of Agriculture Secretary William Dar to temporarily suspend the importation of poultry meat from Brazil has "no basis" and is not "science-based."