Australia delists Philippines from African snail blacklist

Cebu City -- Effective July 1, the Philippines is no longer on Australia’s list of countries that are possible sources of the destructive Giant African Snail (GAS). The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) yesterday posted on its import conditions database (www.aqis.gov.au/icon) an import clearance notice to advise that the Philippines, along with Bonin Islands (Ogasawara Gunto) and RyukyiRetto (Archipelago), "have a reduced risk for GAS and will be removed from the GAS Country Action List on 1 July 2006." Cebu-based exporters, who have been lobbying for the delisting of the Philippines in the past two years, hailed this development as a "huge victory." This means that shipments from any Philippine port to Australia would be exempt from GAS-related inspection requirements. This development should also translate to savings of between P30,000 and P50,000 in shipping, fumigation and documentation costs per container van since international shipping lines are expected to resume direct services between Cebu and Australia, said carrageenan exporter Benson U. Dakay. Cebu exporters spent more on Australia-bound shipments because they had to send these first to Manila, which was already exempted from the GAS action list. Apolinar G. Suarez, Jr., president of the Confederation of Philippine Exporters Foundation Cebu (Philexport-Cebu), said he expected Cebu exports to Australia to recover. Data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Central Visayas office showed that Cebu exports to Australia plummeted 70% in 2005 to $24.5 million from the 2004 level of $81.8 million. Cebu exports to Australia accounted for a mere 0.5% of total Cebu exports of $4.7 billion last year. "We’re very happy that the Philippines has been taken out of the list. This is a huge victory for us. Australia is a very good market for many of us, especially the seaweeds sector. Finally, this trade barrier has been removed," Mr. Suarez said in a separate interview. Exporters here have asked international shipping lines to immediately resume direct links between Cebu and Australia. They also vowed to work closely with the government in pursuing measures to keep the Cebu International Container Port free of the snail, which attaches itself to wooden crates. "The delisting is just the beginning. We have to maintain this so we will pursue the plans that we have drawn up to keep Cebu Port clean as soon as possible. There are still a lot of things to do. The first thing that we will do is to sit down with all the stakeholders, including the DA [Department of Agriculture] and the Bureau of Plant Industry, and ensure that we concretize our plans. There’s no other option really but to implement this," Mr. Suarez said. Mr. Dakay, president of the Seaweeds Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP), also pushed for the activation of the task force that will work on the establishment of a well-sanitized container van yard at the Cebu International Container Port for all Australia-bound exports and the accreditation of reliable fumigation treatment providers for Australia-bound containers. The task force, which was formed last year, is composed of representatives from the government and Cebu’s export sector. "We will work closely with the DA and the Plant Industry bureau to make sure that we will keep our port clean and our shipments are GAS-free so that there won’t be another ban. A second ban will be very, very tough," Mr. Dakay said. Earlier, Australian officials said the removal of the Philippines from the list does not certify the Philippines as GAS-free, but reflects the statistical and historical reality that there is little quarantine risk to Australia from Philippine imports. The revised GAS country action list effective July 1 includes all ports in Christmas Island, East Timor, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Palau, USA Pacific Islands (American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Island), Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna Islands, and Western Samoa. - MARITES S. VILLAMOR, Business World Visayas Bureau Chief