PHOTO from the Bureau of Customs
MANILA, Philippines — Pork meat products from China amounting to P600,000 were seized at the Port of Subic, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Thursday.
BOC said the shipment was seized last May 29 in compliance with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) order and the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) memorandum temporarily banning pork meat products from countries believed to be affected by African Swine Fever (ASF), including China.
The Bureau of Animal Industry’s quarantine officers said the shipment was found to contain fish tofu and boxes of pork and pork products.
“The Port immediately issued Alert Order No. A/DC/SUB/20190529-01 after the lodgement of the said shipment and was later found to contain pork meat products – pork balls with a declared value of P600,000,” the BOC said in a statement.
“Immediately, a Warrant of Seizure and Detention was issued against the subject shipment for violation of Section 1113 (f) of Republic Act No. 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, in relation to the Department of Agriculture/ Office of the Secretary Memorandum Nos. 23 and 26, prohibiting the entry of Pork and other similar products from China and other countries affected by ASF,” it added.
The FDA earlier extended its temporary ban on processed pork meat products from 16 countries believed to be affected by the ASF.
The FDA said the ban now covers processed pork meat products from Vietnam, Zambia, South Africa, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Mongolia, Moldova, and Belgium.
The ban, which was first implemented in September 2018, initially covered only seven countries – China, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. (Editor: Eden Estopace)
READ: Ma Ling included in FDA temporary ban on pork meat products