The US Trade Department and the Philippine Department of Agriculture will try to iron out their differences over frozen meat products from North America that Manila restricted in favor of domestic pork and beef producers.
 
Visiting US Deputy Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala will start bilateral talks on February 29, with the US side seeking for a reconsideration of Manila's restrictive importation of frozen meat products under protest by US and Canadian traders.
 
The American trade representative is hopeful that the two parties will resolve some of the other irritants in the relationship, including serious issues affecting meat trade.
 
Philippine Ambassador to the Washington Jose Cuisia wants the Marantis-Alcala meeting to end on a fruitful note.
 
The Philippine Agricultural Department imposed Administrative Order 22 in favor of pork and beef producers by restricting the entry of frozen meat products to the Philippines, mostly from the US and Canada.
 
The North American countries view AO 22 as a trade barrier on the flow of frozen meat products to the Philippines - the 12th largest market for US agriculture exports with US$1.6 billion in 2010 sales.
 
Red meats are among the top five US exports to the Philippines, and accounts for 7 percent of America's major agriculture exports that include wheat (24%) soy and soymeal (21%), dairy (10%), and feeds and snack foods (4%).