WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture, after a thorough review and evaluation of the cattle industry, recognizes the urgent need to augment the cattle population of the entire country;

WHEREAS, allowing the importation of live cattle for fattening by the private sector, will fill up the short supply of feeder cattle as a temporary expedient;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM D. DAR, Acting Secretary of Agriculture, do hereby issue the following set of guidelines in order to effect a rational, equitable and sound implementation of the cattle importation program.

SECTION 1.       QUALIFIED IMPORTERS. Only qualified feedlot operators can participate in the program. They are those:

1.         accredited by the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture;

2.         with certificate of ownership/lease agreement, with the necessary feedlot resources, equipment and facilities;

3.         registered organization or cooperative who, in support of the DA ™s livelihood projects in the rural areas, shall farm out the imported animals to contract growers/participating farmers.

SECTION 2.       ANIMAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS

1.      The animals must be accompanied by an international animal health certificate coming from the official veterinary authority of the country of origin and shall comply with all existing regulations related to animal health as required by the BAI on the importation of live animals.

2.      The animals that arrive in the country shall undergo a quarantine period of at least thirty (30) days. During the quarantine period, the animals shall be subject to periodic inspection and serological testing if warranted by the deputized Veterinary Quarantine Office and those deputized by the Bureau of Animal Industry. Any expenses incurred by the deputized Veterinary Quarantine Officer shall be shouldered by the importer. No animal shall be removed from the location of quarantine while undergoing the isolation period.

3.      The animals shall undergo a feeding and finishing period of at least sixty (60) days (inclusive of the 30 days quarantine period). Only animals certified by the licensed veterinarian or deputized Veterinary Officer to be healthy shall be allowed for release at the feedlot.

SECTION 3.       MECHANICS OF IMPORTATION

1.         Accreditation of Feedlots

a.      Only accredited feedlots can hold/stock the imported feeder cattle. For this purpose, prospective importers/participants of the program shall apply to the Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary through the DA-LIEG for accreditation.

b.      Written application for accreditation of feedlot must be submitted at least one month before applying for Veterinary Quarantine Clearance to import feeder cattle.

c.       The DA-LIEG shall inspect the feedlot of the prospective feedlot operators to determine:

i.          Technical capability to undertake the importation

ii.          Availability and sufficiency of feeds/pasture grasses to support the imported animals and other stock of the feedlot operator.

iii.         Adequacy of cattle fattening facilities e.g. floor space, catching corrals, holding pens, feeding and watering troughs, with access to livestock scales, etc.

iv.         Compliance with all the necessary municipal ordinances/requirements for business operations.

d.      Once all the requirements are complied, the DA-LIEG shall recommend the feedlot ™s accreditation to the Secretary of Agriculture.

e.      A Certificate of Accreditation shall then be issued by the DA within two weeks after inspection and upon submission of complete documents. A copy of this Certificate shall be furnished the DA Regional Field Unit, the BAI and the Provincial Veterinarian.

i.          Accreditation is good for one calendar year.

ii.          Accreditation fee shall be P500.00 to be paid directly to the LDC-Cashier and shall be deposited in a special trust fund to be used solely for monitoring purposes.

iii.         Accreditation is for the feedlot and the owner.

iv.         Reaccreditation of feedlots shall be done every first quarter of the year.

f.        Quarterly inspection of feedlots shall be done by the DA-LIEG in coordination with the deputized Veterinary Quarantine Officer.

2.         Issuance of Veterinary Quarantine Certificate to Import (Import Permit)

a.      Only accredited feedlot operators can apply for import permits. The Application for Veterinary Quarantine Clearance (Import Permit) must be made at least two weeks before departure of the imported animals from the country of origin.

b.      Owners of accredited feedlots or their authorized representative shall submit their request to import to the BAI with the following documents from their latest importation:

b.1  Quarantine Reports:

i.          Inspection Report on the arrival of feeder cattle;

ii.          Veterinary report of the deputized Veterinary Quarantine Officer while the animals are under quarantine;

iii.         Certificate of release from quarantine of previous importation issued by the deputized Veterinary Quarantine Officer;

iv.         Report of disposition of the animals in the feedlot.

b.2    Photocopy of registration of imported animals within 30 days quarantine period.

b.3    Official Receipt of payment to the Bureau of Customs

c.       The BAI will evaluate the application and if the requirements are complied, it shall be forwarded to the DA-LIEG.

d.      The application will be endorsed to the Secretary or his authorized representative for approval.

e.      Copies of the approved import permit are distributed as follows:

i.     Original - Importer ™s bank	iii.        Triplicate - Importer
ii.    Duplicate - Bureau of Customs	iv.        Quadruplicate - BAI

f.        Application for L/C ™s for the importation of feeder cattle must be accompanied by a Veterinary Quarantine Certificate (Import Permit) or permit from DA.

g.      Issuance of Import Permit is on a per shipment basis.

3.         Pre-Arrival Arrangements

a.      Veterinary Quarantine Clearance should be secured prior to the arrival of the imported animals in accordance with Section 2.1.

b.      The importer shall inform the BAI Director or his duly authorized representative at the port of entry at least one (1) week before the arrival of the shipment.

4.         Arrival Arrangements

a.      Upon arrival of the animals at the point of disembarkation, the deputized Veterinary Quarantine Officer shall inspect the animals on board and issue the Landing Permit if all necessary requirements (original Veterinary Quarantine Clearance to import, Veterinary Health Certificate) have been presented. A report on the inspection by the deputized Veterinary Quarantine Officer shall be submitted to the BAI Director, Regional Director and to the DA-LIEG within fifteen (15) days after arrival.

b.      The importer shall submit a report on the landed cattle to the DA-LIEG within seven (7) days from the arrival of the animals.

5.         Post-Arrival Arrangements

a.      Within the quarantine period, all imported animals are to be registered in the municipality where they are located for issuance of Original Certificate of Ownership. After payment of the necessary registration fees, a copy of the Official Receipt covering the payments shall be submitted to the DA-LIEG. This shall be submitted along with the monthly reports on the performance of the animals described below.

b.      Monthly report on the performance and movements of the imported animals are to be accomplished by the importer and submitted to the DA-LIEG. The œCertificate of Release from Quarantine  issued by the deputized Veterinary Quarantine Officer shall be submitted to the BAI Director and Regional Director.

SECTION 4.       PENALTY PROVISIONS. Non-compliance by the suppliers/importers of the prescribed procedures above will be dealt with in the following manner:

1.         Supplier

a.      For bringing in animals without approved Import Permit

i.          First Violation - Return of the animals to the point of origin
ii.          Second Violation - Ban from supplying cattle into the Philippines

2.         Importer/Feedlot Operator

a.      For bringing in animals without approved Import Permit

i.          First Violation - Return of the animals to the point of origin
ii.          Second Violation - Ban from supplying cattle into the Philippines

b.      Slaughter of animals before the sixty (60) day period

i.          First Violation - Warning
ii.          Second Violation - Suspension of Accreditation of the feedlot area for a period of six (6) months

c.       Dispersal of animals to unaccredited feedlot

i.          First Violation - Warning
ii.          Second Violation - Non-issuance of Import Permit for one year

d.      Others (Failure to submit reports, etc.)

i.          First Violation - Warning
ii.          Second Violation - Non-issuance of Import Permit for six (6) months

SECTION 5.       REVOKING CLAUSE. This Order shall revoke Administrative Order No. 1 dated February 11, 1994.

SECTION 6.       Effectivity. The interim plan to allow the importation of feeder cattle shall be implemented effective upon approval. A periodic review on the feeder cattle importation program shall be done by the Livestock Development Council Executive Committee.

Adopted: 12 Oct. 1998

(SGD.) WILLIAM D. DAR
Acting Secretary