MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday announced that it imposed the importation of chicken products from Brazil following reports of a coronavirus contamination in their poultry products.
In a statement, the DA said that Agriculture Secretary William Dar signed a memorandum on Friday, citing section 10 of Republic Act 10611, or the Food Safety Act of 2013.
This comes after a report surfaced that a sample of frozen chicken wings, which imported from the South American country into the city of Shenzen in China, tested positive for the coronavirus.
The DA said that the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) have been monitoring COVID-19 related outbreaks in foreign meat establishments (FMEs).
“One of the primary considerations by the DA in the accreditation of FMEs for the importation of meat into the country is the health status of workers in compliance with good manufacturing practices (GMP),” the department said
“With the recent reports from China and in compliance with the country’s Food Safety Act to regulate food business operators and safeguard Filipino consumers, the temporary ban on the import of chicken meat is imposed,” it added.
Despite the importation ban, the department assured the public that chicken products from the Philippine market is safe to eat.
Based on the latest data from the World Health Organization, Brazil has 3,164,785 COVID-19 cases, with 104,201 deaths.