The Bureau of Customs (BoC) has ordered ports to watch the entry of contaminated agricultural products from countries banned by the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Acting Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz has signed Customs Memorandum Circular 110-2022 prohibiting agricultural products from banned countries for monitoring and implementation.
“These include domestic and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen from affected countries of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza; Live cattle, meat, and meat products derived from cattle that come from countries with cases of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy,” Ruiz said.
The commissioner also added the domestic and wild pigs and their products, including pork meat, pig skin, processed animal proteins, and semen from countries with cases of African swine fever.
Foot and mouth disease-susceptible animals and their products and by-products from banned countries are also barred from entering the country.
Other fishery commodities that are not allowed for importation include piranha, janitor fish, knife fish and blackchin tilapia.
In July, some P15 million worth of smuggled agricultural products were seized in Misamis Oriental, the BoC said.
The Customs said five containers of smuggled agricultural products were seized during a physical examination at the Mindanao International Container Terminal Services Inc. yard in Misamis Oriental.
The shipments arrived from China on 2 July and were declared as “autolyzed yeast in powder form,” the BoC said.
It was consigned to a certain Primex Export and Import Producer.
The bureau said that upon inspection, however, the shipments contained red onions, white onions, and carrots with an estimated value of P15 million.
In June, the BoC confiscated some P124 million worth of agricultural products that were attempted to be smuggled into the country.
The bureau said the agricultural products were consigned to Daniry Consumer Goods Trading and Jeroce Consumer Goods Trading, adding that they all came from China.
“Both shipments were found to contain frozen poultry products, which were not in the original declaration,” the Customs said.
Daniry Consumer Goods Trading declared a shipment for hotpot balls, while Jeroce Consumer Goods Trading said its shipment contained steamed buns.
“Both consignees will face appropriate legal sanctions and cases,” the BoC added.