Agri group raises alarm vs meat imports

MANILA, Philippines–Where the booze flows, the smuggler follows.

The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) on Thursday raised the alarm on cheating importers who pass off prime meat cuts as swine offal to avoid paying higher duties.

According to the umbrella group of agribusiness operators, farmers and partylist groups, the popularity of “pulutan” or dishes that go with alcoholic drinks have provided unscrupulous meat processors yet another channel for smuggling.

Swine offal “are considered waste in most countries and are easily available in pork-exporting countries,” Sinag chair Rosendo So said.

So was referring to hog parts like ears, feet, tails, hearts, tongues, thick skirts, thin skirts, cauls, throats, thymus glands, kidneys, lungs, brains, pancreas, spleens, spinal cords and other parts that are not consumed in other countries, but which are prepared as delicacies in the Philippines.

“Our unique culinary taste for sisig, chicharon, tokwa’t baboy and other beer chows have given smugglers another venue to make profit at the expense of the local industry and revenue generation for the nation’s coffers,” he said.

Importation of such discarded swine parts is liable to duties of up to 7 percent if fresh or chilled and up to 10 percent if frozen. However, So said importers of offal actually pay a 5-percent duty.