MANILA - The Department of Trade and Industry on Monday said it is backing calls to lift the import ban on meat products from Brazil as meat processors warned of a possible shortage of processed meat.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said he has written to Agriculture Secretary William Dar about lifting the ban as Brazil supplies mechanically deboned meat (MDM), which meat processors say is used in products like meatloaf and hotdogs.

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An import ban on MDM from Brazil was imposed by the DA after Chinese authorities reported detecting traces of COVID-19 in meat shipped from Brazil.

Lopez said this has no scientific basis.

“Well, we support po iyong position na iyon. Kasi iyong basehan daw po ng pag-ban ng importation ng mga chicken and chicken products mula sa Brazil ay wala pong scientific basis na ito po ay may dalang COVID at makakahawa.”

(Well, we support that position [lifting the ban] as the supposed basis for banning chicken and chicken products from Brazil has no scientific basis that it has COVID and is contagious.)

He said that without imports from Brazil, local meat processors will not be able to produce some meat products, which can lead to higher prices.

- Report from Joyce Balancio, ABS-CBN News