AMENDMENTS TO DA ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 34, SERIES OF 1999: BAN ON THE IMPORTATION OF BEEF BY DUTY FREE SHOPS

WHEREAS, DA Administrative Order (AO) 34 was issued on 09
September 1999 to stop the unusually high volume of importation of beef
by duty-free shops to the detriment of the domestic cattle raising
industry;

WHEREAS, as a result of the imposition of the ban, importation of
high quality beef by hotels, restaurants, and similar establishments
within Subic and Clark duty-free zones has become more expensive;

WHEREAS, importation of high quality beef by hotels, restaurants,
and similar establishments at Subic and Clark duty-free zones does not
pose competition to domestically produced beef;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDGARDO J. ANGARA, Secretary of Agriculture, by
virtue of the powers vested in me by law, hereby order the exemption of
high quality beef from the ban, provided that only hotels, restaurants
and similar establishments located within Subic Bay Metropolitan
Authority (SBMA) and Clark Development Corporation (CDC) are eligible to
import duty-free high quality beef, only for their own use in their
business operations in these areas.

The terms high quality, prime grade, or choice cuts beef
shall mean the same, referring to the prime parts of dressed beef
carcass, bone-in or boneless, derived from young cattle, feedlot
fattened steers and heifers. Bone-in cuts beef include ribs, T-Bone,
shortloin, shortplate, spareribs, and standing rib. Boneless cuts beef
include rib-eye, sirloin, tenderloin, striploin, round, topround,
knuckles, eye of round shoulder clod, chuck tender, and blade.

For purposes of this ORDER, importation of high quality beef is
limited only for culinary purposes in hotels, restaurants and similar
establishments located in SBMA and CDC areas.

This ORDER does not cover duty-free importation of high quality beef
for industrial processing and manufacturing (e.g. canning, retail
packing) intended for selling or reselling or for other purposes other
than those for culinary preparations mentioned above.

This Order shall take effect immediately.

Adopted: 03 Feb. 2000

(SGD.) EDGARDO J. ANGARA
Secretary