Brazil meat imports pose health concerns

MANILA, Philippines — The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) continues to oppose plans to lift the ban on meat imports from Brazil due to food safety and public health concerns.

“There can be threat in the industry and a possibility of an outbreak. This is a food safety and public health concern,” Sinag chairman Rosendo So told The STAR.

“In Japan, they only saw a staple wire in our exported bananas and they already recalled the whole shipment,” So said.

So said while processing plants in Brazil are cleared of salmonella, the bigger issue is the prevalence of foot-and-mouth (FMD) vaccination.

“The local industry, together with the people at BAl (Bureau of Animal Industry), worked hard that we be declared FMD-free without vaccination,” So said.

 “We got that recognition  only two years ago and now we risk all those hard work that may threaten again the local industry, food safety and public health for the whims of a few importers,” he added.

According to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Philippines is among the 66 recognized FMD-free countries where vaccination is not practiced.

The industry group maintained that the country should only import from those that are also FMD-free without vaccination just like the Philippines.

In response, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he would hold a dialogue with stakeholders next week to discuss the matter.

“For the record, lifting the ban does not mean there will be an indiscriminate meat importation. Just like the buffalo meat importation from india, there are health protocols which are strictly observed,” Piñol said.

“The government only issues the SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) permit. It is the private sector which makes the decision on whether to import or not,” he added.

Piñol earlier said the DA team that went to Brazil last month gave a favorable feedback and suggested the lifting of the ban from several Brazilian meat establishments.

The DA banned meat imports last July  to ensure the safety of local consumers after salmonella was detected in some of the shipments from Brazil.

Based on the standard operating procedures, the consolidated reports from the inspectors will be presented and deliberated by the Accreditation Review Board which will then be submitted to the agri chief.

Piñol will then issue an order lifting the ban, issued last July.

The ban resulted in a spike in prices of meat and processed meat products.

Brazil is one of the country’s biggest sources of raw meat materials.