PHL, US to hold bilateral talks on red meat imports from North America 

The US Trade Department and Philippine Department of Agriculture will try to thresh out their differences over frozen meat products from North America that Manila restricted in favor of domestic pork and beef producers.   Visiting US Deputy Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala will start bilateral talks Wednesday, with the US side seeking for a reconsideration of Manila’s restrictive importation of frozen meat products under protest by US and Canadian traders.   The American trade representative is hopeful that through bilateral engagement "we will resolve some of the other irritants in our relationship, including serious issues affecting our meat trade."   Philippine Ambassador to the Washington Jose Cuisia wants the Marantis-Alcala meeting to end on a fruitful note.   "We're hoping to settle this issue amicably with the US," said Cuisia.   The Philippine Agricultural Department imposed Administrative Order 22 in favor of pork and beef producers by restricting the entry of frozen meat products to the Philippines, mostly from the US and Canada.   The North American countries view AO 22 as a trade barrier on the flow of frozen meat products to the Philippines — the 12th largest market for US agriculture exports with $1.6 billion in 2010 sales.   Red meats are among the top five US exports to the Philippines, and accounts for 7 percent of America’s major agriculture exports that include wheat (24 percent) soybean and soybean meal (21 percent), dairy (10 percent), and feeds and snack foods (4 percent). — VS, GMA News