Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture says chicken embargo by Philippines is undue
Francielle Rozzatti
Published 2020년 9월 4일
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) and the Ministry of Agriculture (Mapa) released a joint note on the temporary suspension of Brazilian chicken imports imposed by the Philippines. The country claimed the risk of contamination with the Covid-19 virus after alleged samples of the virus were found on chicken wings from Brazil in Shenzhen, China. The suspension was on August 14, the day after the Chinese episode.
The note says the embargo is undue and asked the Philippine government to withdraw it immediately. “All the recommendations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Codex Alimentarius indicate that food and its packaging are not vectors of transmission of COVID-19. There is, in fact, a consensus among the international scientific community, risk rating agencies and health authorities in the world, according to which the SARS-CoV-2 virus is not transmissible through the food trade ”, he says.
The Philippines is the only country to restrict Brazilian chicken meat without presenting any evidence of its decision. The note also clarifies that Brazil responded quickly to all inquiries and provided all documents that ensure sanity and strict protocols complied with by Brazilian companies. "Brazil has always collaborated in a constructive, open and transparent manner, with its commercial partners and friendly nations, especially in this delicate moment of the pandemic".
The current Philippine government embargo on Brazilian imports of chicken meat did not follow the necessary and mandatory principles and rites set out in Article 5 of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), the which represents a clear violation of that Article of the Agreement.
As a result, Brazil will take appropriate measures with the World Trade Organization, if the Philippine government does not remove the said embargo on chicken meat imports or does not immediately present a reliable scientific justification for maintaining the restriction. "Brazil has been working for a quick and constructive solution to the case, bilaterally ”, the note states.
The note says the embargo is undue and asked the Philippine government to withdraw it immediately. “All the recommendations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Codex Alimentarius indicate that food and its packaging are not vectors of transmission of COVID-19. There is, in fact, a consensus among the international scientific community, risk rating agencies and health authorities in the world, according to which the SARS-CoV-2 virus is not transmissible through the food trade ”, he says.
The Philippines is the only country to restrict Brazilian chicken meat without presenting any evidence of its decision. The note also clarifies that Brazil responded quickly to all inquiries and provided all documents that ensure sanity and strict protocols complied with by Brazilian companies. "Brazil has always collaborated in a constructive, open and transparent manner, with its commercial partners and friendly nations, especially in this delicate moment of the pandemic".
The current Philippine government embargo on Brazilian imports of chicken meat did not follow the necessary and mandatory principles and rites set out in Article 5 of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), the which represents a clear violation of that Article of the Agreement.
As a result, Brazil will take appropriate measures with the World Trade Organization, if the Philippine government does not remove the said embargo on chicken meat imports or does not immediately present a reliable scientific justification for maintaining the restriction. "Brazil has been working for a quick and constructive solution to the case, bilaterally ”, the note states.
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