PH to require pre-shipment inspection of farm goods

Starting October, the Department of Agriculture (DA) expects to enforce pre-shipment inspections at ports of origin to curtail the proliferation of smuggled goods and animal diseases in the country.This is while waiting for the completion of the country’s first border inspection facility by next year.

“Before these facilities become operational, we will issue an administrative order on pre-shipment inspection, pending approval from the Department of Finance,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.

Tiu Laurel said earlier the initial inspection of agricultural products for delivery to the Philippines would be conducted in certain countries.“

The country’s first Q fever case linked to imported goats from the US and persistent agricultural smuggling have highlighted the need to operationalize ‘first border’ control measures to ensure food safety and prevent the entry of plant pests and economically significant terrestrial and aquatic animal diseases,” it said.

The DA said the initial budget to build cold examination facility in agriculture (CEFA) in various parts of the Philippines was P2.3 billion in 2023 but the allocation was reduced to P1.2 billion this year as International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) offered to host most of the facilities at its local ports.

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CEFA is a sanitary/phytosanitary inspection facility for imported animal, fish, plant and agricultural products. Equipped with state-of-the-art testing laboratories, it thoroughly checks all imported animals, fish, plants, and other agricultural commodities.

Private contractors are now constructing the examination facility in Angat, Bulacan, with target to start operations by January or February 2025.