Import ban on chicken meat from Brazil won’t affect local supply —DA-BAI

The temporary importation ban on poultry meat from Brazil will have no significant impact on the country’s supply of chicken products, the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industries (DA-BAI) said Tuesday.

In a virtual press briefing, BAI Diretor Ronnie Domingo said that of the total 300 million kilograms of chicken meat that the Philippines imported last year, only 15% are sourced from Brazil.

“Ang pinagkukuhanan natin ng manok labing apat na bansa po ‘yan,” Domingo said.

The DA-BAI director also noted that there is a surplus of chicken supply this year worth 150 days.

On Friday, the DA imposed a temporary importation ban on poultry meat from Brazil as a “precautionary measure” amid reports of COVID-19 contamination detected in a sample of frozen chicken wings.

China said on Thursday a sample of frozen chicken wings imported into Shenzhen from Brazil had tested positive for the virus.

The discovery by local disease control centers was part of routine screenings of meat and seafood imports that have been carried out since June, when a new outbreak in Beijing was linked to the city's Xinfadi wholesale food center. -MDM, GMA News