Importers of agri goods need clearance

Importers now have to secure a government quarantine clearance before being able to import agricultural products, live animals, plants, fishes, as well as their products and by-products.

This is contained in Administrative Order no. 18 signed by Agriculture Secretary Edgardo Angara last April 24 but which was released only yesterday. The order amends AO no. 4 series of 1998 and revises the guidelines in the importation of agricultural products.

Angara said there is a need to strengthen agriculture quarantine services and harmonize existing import rules and regulations in accordance with increasing global trade.

The new order increases the scope of AO no. 4 to include not only agricultural products but also live animals, plants, fishes, and their products and by-products.

It requires that importers first secure an import permit or a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) certificate prior to importation of these products. Such importation must be accompanied by a sanitary/phytosanitary/health certificate from the country of origin.

Products imported without the required import permit are deemed illegal and will not be allowed to enter the country.

The order was issued in response to continued failure from many importers to secure the necessary import permits before they undertake the importation of agricultural products. In some cases, the products are already in Philippine ports and could not be released because the importer could not show an import permit.

Angara has transferred the issuance of import permits from the Bureau of Animal Industry in the case of meat, meat products and live animals to his office. Official sources said the BAI has made it routinary that import permits will be issued even after the imported product has already entered the country.

Reports reaching the Department of Agriculture also revealed that imported chicken meat from the United States are already in Philippine ports and the importers could not show veterinary quarantine clearances (VQCs).

Sources from the private sector also reported that importers, in cahoots with Customs people, are able to have the chicken meat shipments released even without the VQCs.

Some of these chicken meat were originally intended for Russia and other countries but were instead shipped to the Philippines, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Ma. Cecilia Fernandez said.

She said that unless the chicken meat is labeled for export to the Philippines, it will not be issued an import clearance.