More beef imports expected from Brazil after FMD-free declaration

A MEAT importer said the Philippines can expect more beef imports from Brazil after the latter was declared free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

“The Philippines will have more beef,” Meat Importers and Traders Association (MITA) President Jesus C. Cham said via Viber.

The declaration will allow the Philippines to import bone-in meat, offal, and beef byproducts from Brazil, he said.

Brazil’s embassy in Manila said recently that Brazil’s recognition as an FMD-free without vaccination was conferred during the 92nd General Session of the World Organization for Animal Health in Paris on May 28.

The embassy said the “landmark certification” consolidates Brazil’s “status as a global leader in animal health management and reinforces its reputation as a safe and reliable supplier of animal products to the international market.”

The Pan American Health Organization in April said South America is close to eradicating FMD “with over 65% of livestock in disease-free zones without vaccination.”

Philippine beef imports rose 9.32% year on year to 56,331 metric tons (MT) in April. Brazil was the top source with 20,348 MT.

“Brazil has become an important source of all meat, until bird flu caused a suspension of poultry imports,” Mr. Cham noted.

The Philippines in May imposed a ban on poultry imports from Brazil following a bird flu outbreak that killed almost 7,400 birds in Rio Grande do Sul state.

Mr. Cham said the MITA also expects the Philippines to “continue to buy pork heavily from Brazil.”

Brazil was the Philippines’ largest source of imported chicken (92,232 MT) and pork (91,200 MT) in April. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza