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MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture official who is under fire for alleged inaction on meat smuggling said he will submit to an investigation.
In a press briefing last Friday, Efren Nuestro, director of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), challenged detractors to prove allegations of inaction against the undervaluation of pork and meat imports.
“I will be taking a leave of absence and open myself for investigation by proper authorities if I am truly the person to suffer the consequences, he said.
The BAI chief hopes the investigation will clear his name before he retires on July 8.
“I want to clear my name and my family from these accusations, which was never meant for me at all. This would also give everybody a free hand in determining any culpability on my part in this decade-long problem,” Nuestro said.
The official said his actions stem from the mandate given by the Department of Agriculture on the matter of overimportation
Local hog raisers earlier said importation of undervalued and cheap pork has caused the drop in farm gate prices, costing the industry millions of pesos in foregone revenues.
Citing bureau records, Nuestro said farm gate prices and import volumes in the last six years had increased by an annual average of 6.1 and 33.97 percent, respectively.
“Therefore, the increase in the volume of importation has no direct effect on the farm gate prices,” he said.
He said BAI is undertaking various measures to protect the local hog industry, including registration of livestock and poultry farms based on animal welfare and health programs and trade-related matters.
He said the bureau is also pushing for market infrastructure support to strengthen the industry’s marketing system and allow local raisers to compete directly with imported meat products.
“We are also helping them in lowering the cost of production, including feeds, medicines and waste management,” Nuestro said.
Local hog raisers have threatened a five-day "pork holiday" to raise public concern over smuggling. Based on industry estimates, 30 out of 100 containers that enter Philippine ports are smuggled. Each container carries at least 25,000 kilos.
Nuestro however challenged the industry to hold a "pork festival" instead.
“They are saying that they want their problems to be heard when. In fact, we already know their concerns and we are trying to address them,” he said.
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