MULTIPLE POULTRY import bans imposed even on countries accounting for a small share of the Philippine market have reduced import volumes by more than half, meat importers said.
Jesus C. Cham, president of the Meat Importers and Traders Association, said in a mobile phone message that despite affecting minor supplier countries, the totality of the import bans have added up.
“Normally the effect of these bans would have been small. But combined with all the current bans, these have removed (over) half of the supply, so the impact is magnified,” Mr. Cham said.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) issued import bans on March 23 on poultry products from Sweden, France, and Denmark after reported outbreaks of the H5N8 and H5N5 strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu.
The DA also suspended imports of pork products from Malaysia due to an African Swine Fever outbreak. However, Mr. Cham said the Malaysian ban is not expected to have an effect on domestic supply.
The Philippines also has outstanding poultry import bans on the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany.
“We strongly urge the DA to abide by scientific guidelines of the World Organisation of Animal Health (OIE) and apply regionalized bans instead of countrywide bans,” Mr. Cham added, saying that excessive risk management “penalizes the economy and consumers unnecessarily.”
“If the DA maintains the countrywide bans, then we have to wait for the disease to abate in the summer months. But it will be very tough for meat processors since they have lost more than half of their supply,” he added.
As of Feb. 28, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) estimates that poultry imports, including duck products, amounted to 34.96 million kilograms, down 57.2% year on year.
Imports from France, including duck products, accounted for 1.31% or 456,500 kilograms of poultry imports, while Danish imports of chicken accounted for 0.08% or 28,000 kilograms.
The BAI tallies zero poultry imports from Sweden, with no data available on pork imports from Malaysia. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave