DA gives accreditation to Brazilian, German, Hungarian, Polish meat exporters

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday that it has granted a three-year meat exporters' accreditation to some companies in Brazil, Germany, Hungary, and Poland.

In a news release, the DA said it conducted an inspection mission to the four countries last year.

The Agriculture Department said its inspection missions found all 36 meat establishments in Germany and 48 in Brazil, along with three in Hungary and a dozen in Poland, to be compliant with the animal health code of the World Organization of Animal Health as well as quarantine and meat inspection standards of the Philippines.

Exporter accreditation is necessary to ensure cattle, swine, and poultry meat sourced from abroad are free of pathogens and other diseases that could pose a risk to Filipinos and the multi-billion-peso domestic livestock and poultry industry. 

The DA said accreditation granted to meat exporters in Brazil, Hungary, Germany, and Poland will expire in February 2027.

The agency said the 36 German companies are allowed to ship to the Philippines beef, pork, and poultry meat, particularly chicken and turkey, while the 48 meat establishments from Brazil could export beef, pork and chicken, duck and turkey meat.

For Poland, the DA said it accredited 12 meat companies—six for pork and six for beef—to export hog and cattle meat to the Philippines.

The agency said it also granted a three-year accreditation to three companies from Hungary to export pork and poultry meat, including chicken, duck, and geese to the country. 

The three accredited Hungarian meat establishments are MCS Voghid ZRT Pecsi Hutahoza, a shipper of frozen swine carcasses, hams, shoulders and other cuts, and edible offal; Kometa 99 ZRT, an exporter of frozen swine carcasses, hams, shoulders and other cuts, edible offal and pig fat; and Jeg-Sziget Hutahaz KFT., an exporter of pork, chicken, duck and geese.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in the orders he signed that the foreign meat exporters “must fully comply with existing regulations and conditions provided in the orders and their annexes.” —Ted Cordero/ VAL, GMA Integrated News