The Philippines has officially informed other members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that it is temporarily closing its borders to Brazilian poultry due to the threat of Covid-19.
In its notification to the WTO, Manila said it is temporarily disallowing Brazilian foreign meat establishments (FMEs) from exporting chicken meat to the Philippines pending the results of “a thorough assessment” to be conducted by the Department of Agriculture on the matter.
On August 14, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar ordered the import ban following reports that a sample of Brazilian chicken wings shipped to China tested positive for Covid-19.
The DA said the ban was also based on the fact that a lot of workers in Brazilian FMEs contracted Covid-19, raising concerns over the health and safety standards being observed by exporters.
The Bureau of Animal Industry, the agency that regulates meat imports, said the safety and wellness of workers in FMEs is one of Manila’s export accreditation requirements (Related story: “PHL wants firmer assurance Brazil meat exports safe,” in the BusinessMirror, August 19, 2020).
The Philippines stressed that food safety was its paramount concern when it imposed the ban. It also noted that there is no relevant international standard regarding the import ban.
“There have been numerous reports on the detection of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of Covid-19, in a surface sampling conducted in chicken meat imported from Brazil to China,” Manila said in its August 21 notification to the WTO.
‘No justification’
Manila’s notification to the WTO came a few days after international poultry exporters said they follow the “highest level” of safety in their production line and argued that there is no scientific basis for the transmission of Covid-19 from food to humans.
American exporters have called out the import bans imposed by countries on Brazilian poultry, saying these were “unjustified” and were based on “scientifically unfounded fears.”
“There is no justification for any country to ban poultry imports based on scientifically unfounded fears prompted by unsubstantiated reports in the media. Such action would only be a disadvantage to its own consumer population,” USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) President Jim Sumner said.
USAPEEC pointed out that the Covid-19 detected on the surface of a Brazilian chicken wing sample was reported by the Shenzhen municipality and has not been confirmed by the General Administration of Customs China (GACC). The group noted that GACC is China’s lead agency in charge of Covid-19 testing conducted on products at customs clearance.
“Despite the fact that this report has not been confirmed by GACC, other countries might be considering banning imports based on that report.”
The International Poultry Council (IPC), which accounts for 95 percent of global poultry meat trade and 90 percent of world production, also assured consumers that they have nothing to fear about reports that Covid-19 was detected on the surface of food packaging.
The IPC noted that to date, not a single case of Covid-19 transmission from food products to humans has been recorded.
The group also said the detection of genetic material belonging to SARS-CoV-2 “is not an index of infectivity of the package or product sampled” but only an indication that the tested surface came in contact with the viral material that “may not be, alive, viable and infectious.”
“Inactive fragments of the virus may remain on surfaces, but these inactive fragments cannot transmit Covid-19 and most tests cannot differentiate between inactive non-infectious virus fragments and viable virus,” it said in a recent statement. “Therefore, caution in the interpretation of test results is required.”
Citing international organizations like the World Health Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health, Codex and WTO, the IPC said Covid-19 is not a “food safety issue” but a “respiratory illness,” that is primarily transmitted person-to-person via respiratory droplets.
“The virus cannot multiply in food and it does not affect poultry, it can only infect people when present in its intact form,” it said. “Currently, there is no evidence that the Covid-19 virus can be transmitted by food or by meat, whether fresh or frozen.”
2 comments
Its really a tough balancing different interrsts
But our DA should also look at the diplomatic relations between Brazil and Phl.
Sec Dar maybe popular to local poulry group to the detriment of diplomatic relations
He should look into the trade dispute on a broader perspective