Meat Traders and Importers Appeal to Government to Relax Import Rules
A trade association representing meat importers and traders in the Philippines is urging the government to ease import regulations for meat products. The Meat Importers and Traders Association (Mita) specifically wants the government to reconsider requirements related to registration, ship-out and arrival dates, and the declared net weight of shipments.
According to Mita, the current rules impose unnecessary burdens on importers and traders. The association pointed out that before the year 2000, certain requirements, such as the sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC) and the Veterinary Quarantine Clearance (VQC), were not as strict as they are now.
In a letter dated August 15, 2023, addressed to the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry, Mita highlighted the cumbersome process of registering “importables” individually per source of the imported items. This means that importers must register each item from different exporters, which increases the complexity of the procedure.
Mita also expressed concerns about the stringent requirements on shipping dates. Any delay in shipment compromises the products and may result in seizure. Importers are also burdened with additional costs when shipments do not make it to the ship-out date and require a new SPSIC.
Another issue raised by the association is the declared net weight of meat shipments. If the net weight exceeds 3 percent of the SPS application, the excess cannot clear customs and may be left behind. Furthermore, importers may face charges for over-quantity violations.
Mita suggested allowing a 10 percent discrepancy in total container load, as is common practice in other industries, to be applied to meat imports as well.
The trade association hopes that the government will consider their requests and revise the import rules to facilitate a smoother process for meat importers and traders.
