REVISED GUIDELINES FOR THE FEEDER CATTLE IMPORTATION BY PRIVATE SECTOR

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 “Certificate 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