Australia asks PH: Will you eat Joey?

MANILA, Philippines – Australia wants to export kangaroo meat to the Philippines, but it is uncertain whether the latter will ever allow it.

In a Doing Business in the Philippines guide for Australian exporters, Austrade said chicken, quail, kangaroo, emu and wild pig meat will be allowed entry into the Philippines, “provided necessary import permits are obtained from the Bureau of Animal Industry.” Austrade is the trade and investment development agency of Australia, the only country where kangaroos can be found.

Newly appointed National Meat Inspection Service Executive Director Minda Manantan confirmed that the Philippines received an official request to allow the entry of kangaroo meat, but the government rejected it.

Manantan said the country does not consider kangaroo as “food animal,” that’s why it cannot be consumed here.

Kangaroo meat is largely used as an extender for processed food products such as hotdogs.

Agriculture officials earlier disclosed that Australia has been requesting that the meat be exported to the Philippines as well.

Currently, Australia exports agricultural products such as wheat and grain, milk and dairy, frozen meat and live cattle to the Philippines. The Philippines sells desiccated coconut, pineapple, canned tuna, refined carrageenan, and potassium fertilizers to Australia.

In the first quarter, Australia exported US$194.41 million worth of products to the Philippines, while Philippine exports to the country amounted to only $13.13 million, data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed. – Rappler.com