Cebu City Councilor Jun Alcover is calling for a review of the country’s meat importation policies, saying local producers, processors and traders need a fair chance to compete with imported meat products.
Alcover raised the issue during his privilege speech before the Cebu City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 8, following concerns brought to his office by local meat traders over the continued entry of imported products from China and other foreign markets.
The traders told Alcover that they are finding it increasingly difficult to compete in the local market as imported meat products remain available to consumers.
Alcover, chair of the council’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, said the issue affects more than individual businesses because the local meat industry supports farmers, workers, processors and other businesses across the supply chain.
“This is an issue of livelihood, employment, local investment, agriculture, and, ultimately, food security,” Alcover said.
He said local traders are not asking the government to shut its doors to legitimate international trade or give them special treatment.
Instead, he wants imported meat products to comply with the same inspection, certification, food safety, health and other regulatory requirements imposed under Philippine law.
“If imported meat products are allowed to enter our market, then these products must undergo the proper inspection, certification, food safety, health, and other regulatory requirements mandated by Philippine law,” Alcover said.
He also called for policies that would give Filipino farmers, producers, processors and traders a “fair and reasonable opportunity to compete.”
Alcover warned that continued weakening of the domestic meat and agricultural sectors could make the country more dependent on imported food.
“We cannot build genuine food security by allowing our own domestic agricultural and meat industry to disappear,” he said.
The councilor, who is also engaged in small scale hog raising in Barangay Agsungot, urged Cebu’s representatives in Congress, particularly those representing the Cebu City North and South districts, to bring the concerns of local meat traders to the national legislature.
He called on Congress to review existing laws, policies, regulations and their implementation governing the importation of meat and processed meat products from China and other countries.
The review should determine whether existing measures adequately protect Filipino farmers, producers, processors and traders while allowing legitimate international trade, he said.
“This is not about being against China. This is about being pro-Filipino,” Alcover said.
Alcover also stressed the need to balance consumers’ access to affordable meat with the long term viability of the domestic industry.
“Affordable meat is important, especially for ordinary Filipino families,” he said.
“But we must also recognize that if we continuously weaken our local producers and traders, we may eventually become increasingly dependent on imported food.”
During the session, Alcover moved for the omnibus adoption of his privilege speech and related measures.
One of the proposed actions seeks the participation of Cebuano lawmakers, particularly the Cebu City North and South district representatives, in reviewing national laws, policies and regulations on meat and processed meat imports.
The proposed action places the issue before Congress and relevant national government agencies, which have jurisdiction over the country’s meat importation policies.
Photo courtesy of PNA
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