PNA file photo
MANILA -- Korea is set to conduct an onsite inspection and accreditation of new poultry manufacturing facilities in the Philippines following the resumption of chicken exports to South Korea.
This was announced on Monday during a meeting between Agriculture Secretary William Dar and the official delegation from the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The accreditation comes more than two months after the lifting of the ban on the import of poultry and pet birds from the Philippines on July 4, 2019. It will also pave way to the resumption of the market access of Philippine duck meat and poultry eggs to Korea.
Dar expressed his gratitude to the Korean government for lifting the suspension of Philippine chicken meat to Korea and wished for the earliest dispatch of the on-site inspection team.
“We are hoping to increase the volume of export of poultry products to South Korea,” he said Wednesday in a statement.
To facilitate the exports of Philippine chicken to Korea, the Korean government will dispatch its audit team to the Philippines to conduct on-site inspection of three new Philippine poultry manufacturing facilities that confirmed readiness for inspection and interest to apply accreditation for chicken meat exports to Korea this year.
With the assistance from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Korea is set to inspect the facilities in Davao City, Batangas and La Union.
Korea’s chicken imports in 2018 reached 140,000 metric tons (MT). It is projected to increase to 145,000 MT this year due to continuous increase in the demand for processed chicken products and the cheaper price for imports compared to domestic chicken. (PR)
