THE PHILIPPINES and France are preparing to implement an agreement that will do away with sweeping national import bans in the event of bird flu outbreaks, instead limiting the prohibitions to specific regions where the disease is present, the Department of Trade and Industry said.
“We were able to finalize the HPAI (Highly pathogenic avian influenza) regionalization agreement, which will basically facilitate the export of poultry products from France to the Philippines,” Trade Undersecretary Allan B. Gepty told a news briefing on Tuesday evening, following a Joint Economic Committee meeting.
Under the regionalization agreement, poultry exports from unaffected zones of France will continue to be admitted to the Philippines.
In March the Department of Agriculture lifted the temporary ban on French poultry imports following clearance from the World Organisation for Animal Health, which certified that all cases of bird flu have been resolved.
“These are market access issues that we have been addressing in the course of time,” Mr. Gepty said.
“Of course, there are other market access issues that also concerns our access to the European Union market, and these are the things also that we are discussing right now,” he added.
French Economic Counsellor Alain Fontanel said consumers from Europe, especially France, are very interested in Philippine farm goods.
“European countries and French consumers are also very interested in agriculture and food products from the Philippines, he told reporters, “We are cooperating to increase and to expand geographical indications for products from the Philippines,” he said, referring to the system for designating unique products from specific regions to grant them a marketing advantage.
He added that more Philippine farm products should be recognized under international best-practice standards.
France is the Philippines’ 19th largest trading partner with trade amounting to $1.54 billion. It is also the 20th biggest export market for Philippine goods, accounting for $404.28 billion. — Adrian H. Halili