DA tightening rules on beef importation

Following the outbreak of hog cholera in Bulacan and Pampanga, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is also tightening the importation of beef from the United States and Canada to prevent the outbreak of mad cow disease.

During the recent 75th General Session of the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), a resolution was adopted recognizing the United States and Canada as countries with a controlled risk for the disease, known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has issued new guidelines on the continued importation of beef from the US and Canada subject to certain conditions, namely:

• Only boneless beef can be sourced from cattle under 30 months;

• Beef, whether boneless or bone-in, should be devoid of Specified Risk Materials;

• Whether boneless or bone-in, the beef should come only from healthy ambulatory and not downed cattle;

• The US Department of Agriculture or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency should certify the age of the slaughtered cattle; and

• The production date or slaughter date of the beef should be included in the packaging label.

Yap ordered that all import transactions of beef products from the US and Canada comply with the existing rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

Yap added that all orders, rules and regulations which are inconsistent with the provisions of his new order, are repealed or amended.

Beef from the US and Canada is being regulated and verified by the Food Safety and Inspection Service and Canadian Food Inspection Agency, respectively, and processed under Specified Risk Materials (SRMs) Policy.

The SRM policy includes banning from human food supply all SRMs, strict process controls for establishments using advanced meat recovery systems, banning non-ambulatory cattle from entering the human food supply, holding carcass of any animal chosen for testing out of the food supply until the test is confirmed negative and prohibiting air-injection stunning of cattle.

The US and Canadian verification procedures ensure that the food safety plans are being followed and critical elements necessary to ensure food safety are  being accomplished.

The US and Canada strictly prohibit feeding of ruminant protein to cattle.

The Philippines currently allows importation of deboned and deglanded beef sourced from cattle not older than 30 months from the US and Canada.