The National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) is a specialized regulatory agency of the Department of Agriculture, which is the country’s sole controlling authority on all matters pertaining to meat inspection and hygiene. Its services include the accreditation of slaughterhouses, poultry- dressing plants, meat-processing plants, meat-transport vehicles and equipment fabricators; and the evaluation of cold storages. The NMIS is also in charge of the accreditation of meat and meat-product importers/exporters, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, meat handlers and meat brokers and the registration of locally manufactured and imported meat products.
The agency is allowed to charge fees for its various services. Because the rates had been in place since 1993, the NMIS wants to hike its fees and charges “to keep pace with the changes in economic conditions.” The proposed fees are contained in a draft administrative circular the NMIS had posted on its web site.
According to the draft administrative circular, the NMIS wants to implement a 10-fold hike in its meat-inspection fees. Antemortem fees will increase to P50 per head, from P5 for cattle, carabao, buffalo and horse; P30 per head from P3 for sow, boar and finishers with live weight of 31 kilograms (kg) and above; P15 per head from P1.50 for goat, sheep and deer; and P1.50 per head from P0.15 for poultry. For postmortem inspection, the NMIS is proposing to increase the fee to P2.50 per kg, from P0.25 per kg for the carcasses of all food animals.
The agency also wants to charge P2.50 per kg for the postmortem inspection of all edible offal and miscellaneous edible parts of food animals that are intended for public consumption. These parts include heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, stomach, small and large intestines, cecum, head, feet, tail, blood, and trimmings, such as muscles and fats.
According the NMIS web site, interested parties were given until October 30 to give their comments about the draft administrative circular. Hog raisers belonging to the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines had complained that they did not know about the proposed hike in fees because they were not notified by the NMIS. ProPork President Edwin G. Chen complained that they only found out about the draft administrative circular from other stakeholders in the livestock and poultry sector.
It has always been the case that when government increases its fees for its services, businessmen usually pass these on to consumers. If approved, higher meat-inspection fees would mean more expensive pork and chicken meat for consumers. As it is, the poor can no longer afford to purchase these two food items so they resort to purchasing cheaper sources of protein, such as instant noodles and rice. Increasing meat-inspection fees could put these two food items beyond the reach of poor Filipinos. More expensive meat would also mean more expensive food items sold in carinderias, restaurants and groceries.
While it is true that there is a need to update the fees being charged by the NMIS, the agency should first consult with stakeholders in the livestock and poultry sector. Obviously, any increase in government fees would not sit well with those who will be directly affected, but this does not mean that businessmen are unreasonable.