December 4, 2007

Philippines lifts import ban on US, Canadian beef

The Philippine Department of Agriculture has allowed the importation of bone-in and boneless beef of all ages from US and Canada.

Previously, bone-in beef from the US and Canada can enter the Philippines provided that they were under 30 months old -- a safety precaution to prevent the entry of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease in the country.

However, the DA maintained a number of restrictions to ensure the country remain safe from the threat. Beef, whether boneless or bone-in, should be devoid of specified risk materials and come from healthy ambulatory and downer cattle.

The US Department of Agriculture or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is required to certify the age of the slaughtered cattle and that the production date, or slaughter date of the beef, should be included in the packaging label.