RP rejects 15 containers of European meat

RP rejects 15 containers of European meat

MANILA (AFP): The Philippines will ship back tons of meat and meat products from Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands as part of a ban on the European imports, officials said Friday.

The ban was imposed late last year to guard against mad cow disease, and reinforced this month amid a foot-and-mouth epidemic in Britain, officials said.

On Thursday, customs officials seized 15 containers of frozen beef and bone-meal from Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands at the port of Manila and have ordered it to be returned.

The meat, which arrived at the end of last year, was held after importers tried to sneak it out of the port without the necessary permits, the officials said.

The meat was held under a ban on the import of live cattle, sheep and goats, and meat products from 13 European countries.

Customs officials in the central city of Cebu also ordered meat processing firm Monterey Foods Corp. to ship back 25 tons of frozen, boneless beef from Ireland which arrived in mid-January.

Customs district collector Santiago Maravillas told reporters he expected Monterey Foods to comply with the order by next week.

The agriculture department imposed the ban on the products in November to guard against the spread of new variant Creuzfeld- Jakob disease (vCJD), which researchers believe is transmitted by eating beef infected with mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Press reports Friday quoted Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor as saying he would call for stronger penalties against those who bring in meat from banned sources. He urged the public to buy local meat.

Denmark has asked the Philippines to lift a ban on its beef products saying its products are free from mad cow and foot-and- mouth diseases.

Agriculture Undersecretary Cesar Drilon said importers relied largely on supplies from Australia, the United States and Brazil.

The bulk of the country's beef and live cattle imports come from Australia with only a small amount coming from Europe, Drilon said, without giving figures.