August 6, 2010

 

Manila lifts Canadian meat and bone meal ban

Manila has lifted a seven-year ban from Canada's meat and bone meal (MBM) and other processed animal protein products with assurance that the import risk is already minimal.

 

A Memorandum Order (MO) 19 was issued by Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala authorising the reentry of MBM and other processed animal protein from the North American country.

 

"The 77th General Session of the Office International des Epizooties adopted Resolution XVIII, recognising Canada as one of the member-countries to be Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) controlled risk in accordance with Chapter 11.6 of the Terrestrial Code," said Alcala.

 

The Philippine government also cited the efforts of the Canadian government to implement internal controls and measures to ensure that MBM and other processed animal protein are free from BSE or mad-cow disease.

 

"The Canadian federal government changed the existing framework of the 1997 Feed Ban to new regulations and prohibits Specified Risk Materials from being used in all livestock, pet food and fertilisers, and are intended to eliminate 99.9% of the BSE infectivity from entering the feed system last July 12, 2007," the memo read.

 

The Department of Agriculture (DA) noted that Canada has also implemented the Compliance Verification System, a regulatory-based Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspection program to initiate efficient and uniform approach to verifying an establishment's compliance to regulations. The DA also said Rendering Facility Operators ensure all rendered products comply with applicable legislation and provide assistance to CFIA inspectors while they carry out their inspection duties under the Feeds Regulations and the Health of Animal Regulations.

 

"The ruminant meat and bone meal and other inedible products are regulated and verified by the CFIA for compliance with BSE-related regulations and chemical-residue tolerances," said Alcala.

 

Canada currently exports SRM removed MBM (bovine) to Indonesia; poultry MBN to Indonesia, Vietnam, the US; feather meal to Vietnam; blood meal to Brazil, Chile, China, Korea, Mexico, Peru, the Ukraine, the US, Vietnam; and rendered fats to Colombia, Egypt, European Community, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Russia and the US. The Philippines considers Canada as a major source of pork products, as well as beef products. Canada was the number one source of pork products for the Philippines in 2008.

 

MO 19 repealed MO 15 issued in May 2003 after the Philippines confirmed the presence of BSE in brain-tissue sample submitted by the CFIA. This prompted Manila to ban the importation of live cattle, sheep, goats, their meat and meat products, bovine embryo, MBM and other feed ingredients and other feed ingredients derived from these animals from Canada.