The food safety measures imposed by the Philippines on imported meat and produce remain a thorny issue for the United States, which has vowed to oppose them because they block its access to the country’s markets, the US Trade Representative (USTR) has said.
In a report on its website, the USTR cited the Philippines as one of the countries with sanitary and phytosanitary measures that “impede” the entry of US exports.
The US government “continues to have serious concerns about the trade consequences of SPS [sanitary and phytosanitary] policies affecting sales of imported meat in the Philippines,” the report said.
The USTR also slammed the slow and “duplicative” quarantine process for the entry of processed plant products like frozen french fries and raisins. It complained the pest risk assessment conducted by the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture for fresh vegetables and fruits took too long.
Of all the issues, the meat exports was the most contentious. The USTR said the Philippines’ two-tier system for frozen and freshly slaughtered meat was detrimental to their trade. According to the US Department of Agriculture, US meat and poultry exports to the Philippines exceeded $100 million in 2010.
“This system imposes very high standards on the handling of frozen meat, which is primarily imported, that do not apply to the handling of freshly slaughtered meat, which is exclusively domestic,” the USTR said.
“In addition, the United States is concerned about disruptive test and hold policies that have been administered prior to customs clearance. The United States has raised its concerns with the Philippine government on numerous occasions and will continue to do so,” the agency said.
The USTR’s complaint stemmed from Administrative Order No. 22 issued by the Philippine Department of Agriculture last year to raise imported meat and poultry safety standards.
The order mandates importers to establish cold store systems to ensure the safety of the meat until it reaches consumers. Kristine L. Alave