No need to ban meat imports from SARS countries yet — BAI

There is no need yet to ban meat imports from Hong Kong, Guangdong, Singapore, Vietnam and Taiwan, countries that are seriously affected by the killer pneumonia virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

BAI Director Jose Q. Molina said it is too early to prohibit shipment of meat products from SARS-hit countries because recent bulletins from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris-based Office International des Epizooties on SARS have not clearly established that the disease originated from domestic or wild animals in these areas.

"We cannot impose a ban because we have no sanitary and phytosanitary or SPS basis. But once OIE and WHO says its coming from chickens and ducks or other animal meat, then this can be be used as a basis for a declaration of a ban from these countries," said Molina.

"The Philippines’ meat imports from China are currently limited to frozen chicken, duck meat and processed meat, mainly Maling canned processed meat. We are not importing any meat products from other countries with significant SARS incidence like Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and Taiwan," added Molina.

The agency however, has already alerted Chinese veterinary authorities to obtain information on the animal health situation in China for the last six months, particularly in Guangdong province, where the first SARS case was discovered in mid-November last year.

On the other hand, the US-based Center for Disease Control (CDC) stated that no link has been established between this illness and any other known influenza, including the "bird flu," reported in Hong Kong last Feb. 19.