WHEREAS, the Netherlands banned the feeding of animal protein to ruminant animals since 1994;

WHEREAS, Resolution No. XXI of the International Committee upon recommendation of the Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) dated May 30, 2008 recognizes The Netherlands as having a controlled Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) risk in accordance with Chapter 2.3.13 of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code;

WHEREAS, recent international guidelines set out by the OIE Animal Health Code provides for conditions under which all beef and beef products from animals of all ages maybe safely traded;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ATTY. ARTHUR C. YAP, Secretary of Agriculture, by the powers vested in me by law, do hereby authorize the importation of beef from The Netherlands with the following conditions:

1. Boneless and bone-in beef can be sourced from cattle of all ages devoid of any nerves and other BSE-specified risk materials (SRM) shall be imported.

2. The beef, whether boneless or bone-in should come only from healthy ambulatory and not downer cattle.

3. The age of the slaughter cattle shall be certified by the government authority.

4. The slaughter date of the cattle or the production date of the beef shall be included in the packaging label.

All shipments into the country of beef originating from The Netherlands not complying with these conditions shall be confiscated by DA Veterinary Quarantine Officers/ Inspectors at all major sea/airports.

All orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this order are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

This ORDER shall take effect immediately.

Adopted: 15 April 2009

(SGD.) ATTY. ARTHUR C. YAP
Secretary