MANILA, Philippines — The “illegal” issuance of pork importation permits by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) allowed the entry of the African swine fever (ASF) in the country, according to Ramon Cuyco, legal adviser of the Compliance and Regulatory Enforcement for Security and Trade Office (CREST-O) of the Department of Agriculture.
Cuyco revealed this during Tuesday’s Senate hearing on the food security crisis triggered by the ASF outbreak.
He told senators that the BAI issued sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) for meat products when that function, he said, is reserved for the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) under the Meat Inspection Code.
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Keep on reading: Lawyer blames ‘illegal’ issuance of pork importation permits for ASF outbreak