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Beef (Bovine) Meat As A Market Sector: Importation / Exportation, Health Issues, Market Demand, Protectionism, Regulations


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Panama Suspends Imports of Meat Products from Brazil

The government has temporarily disabled health records for processed meat products imported from the south american country.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

From a statement issued by the Panamanian Food Safety Authority:

As a preventive measure, the Panamanian Food Safety Authority today ordered the withdrawal from supermarkets of processed meat products originating from the Republic of Brazil.

The Authority, by Resolution No. 004-CTI-2017 temporarily disabled, as a preventive measure, health records for processed meat products (ham and canned sausages) originating from the Republic of Brazil, until health authorities from that country certify, with technical and scientific evidence, that there is compliance with health requirements, that [the products]  are safe and suitable for human consumption.

The move comes after a publication issued by the government of this southern country regarding a criminal network that has been selling adulterated meat.

 

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Suspends_Imports_of_Meat_Products_from_Brazil

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Incidence of Bovine Tuberculosis Near Anton

Approximately 60 head of cattle which were infected with Bovine Tuberculosis on a farm in Antón, Coclé, were destroyed the other day.

Folks should know that there are no authorities here like the FDA or Canadian Food Inspection Agency carrying out regular inspections.

http://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/provincias/Sacrifican-reses-contagiadas-tuberculosis-bovina_0_4728277226.html

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Keith

There are agencies in Panama that has to do with animal health and diseases and with food inspection.   That is the reason this heads of cattle were spotted with this disease.  Regularly you will see on the news about medicines, products, food, etc that had been inspected and taken out of the market.

Right now Panama has a commercial battle with a Guatemalan manufacturer of juices.  They didnt comply with the health requirements in terms of nutritional information and contents.  

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hi Roger, I'm aware that the Ministerio de Salud has an Agropecuario division which checks herds but I don't believe their inspection process is as rigid as those of the the FDA or CFIA.

For example, we have a decrepit little slaughterhouse here in Boquete where I saw some steers going in yesterday. I could be wrong but I don't think there are any health inspectors on-site as there would be in North America.  Also, a good quantity of livestock here in Chiriqui is butchered right at the farm.

That being said, I love the food here and have never become ill from eating any of it.

Edited by Keith Woolford
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That's why nobody should drink raw milk here, unless you know the dairy farmer, and the cattle are verified to be tested for TB and brucellosis and are free of those.  There is no such thing here as Certified Raw Milk from licensed certified dairies.

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Panama Resumes Imports of Brazilian Meat Products

The government has lifted the disqualification of sanitary records on processed meat products from Brazil, which had been in force since March 23 of this year.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

From a statement issued by the Panamanian Food Safety Authority:

The Panamanian Food Safety Authority (AUPSA) has  lifted the disqualification of sanitary records of processed meat products from Brazil for not being related to the investigation carried out in that southern country.

By Resolution No. 004-CTI-2017 of 21 March 2017, the Authority had temporarily discontinued sanitary registrations of Brazilian meat products as a preventive measure.

After carrying out the corresponding investigations, and on the basis of notifications from the Brazilian sanitary authorities, the products of meat origin hitherto imported and marketed in Panama "are not related in any way to the investigation in which the Federal Police revealed alleged irregularities in 21 plants in the states of Paraná, Minas, Gerais and Gias, according to official letter No. 07/64/17-FD2 of the Ministry of Livestock Agriculture and Supply in Brazil.

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Resumes_Imports_of_Brazilian_Meat_Products

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Panama Suspends Imports of Colombian Meat Products

The government has issued a health alert due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Colombia, and has temporarily suspended imports of processed meat and dairy products from susceptible species.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

".. The Ministry of Agricultural Development, through the National Directorate of Animal Health, wishes to communicate that in light of the re-emergence of the virus known as foot-and-mouth disease in Colombia, specifically in the department of Arauca bordering Venezuela, after notification has been sent to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), on 24 June and published on 26 June 2017; Panama is maintaining passive and active surveillance following the health security protocol established for all transborder diseases (including vesicular diseases)."

Regarding the deactivation of some import registrations, the Panamanian Food Safety Authority explained that "... This measure has been taken by the AUPSA until the Colombian authorities send notification of the control of the infectious outbreak and a reevaluation is made by the Panamanian institution to determine the possible risk that exists after this epidemiological event."

See statement from the MIDA and statement from AUPSA (both in Spanish).

 

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Suspends_Imports_of_Colombian_Meat_Products

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Panama Imports More Meat

Figures from the sector's union show that in the first quarter of 2018 the country bought 1,645 tons of meat from abroad, 10% more than was registered in the same period in 2017.

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

The National Association of Cattle Ranchers (Anagan) reported that between the first quarters of 2017 and 2018, meat imports in Panama increased by 150 tons, rising from 1,495 tons to 1,645 tons. 

See: "Bovine meat market in Central America"

Regarding the conditions in which the meat is imported and later sold in the country, executive secretary of the Anagan, Euclides Díaz, explained to Panamaamerica.com.pa that " ... one of the problems that is reported with the meat imports meat that comes from the United States and Argentina is that it arrives frozen and then is thawed for sale."

See also "Central America: Pork Market Figures"
 
In relation to the practices of importers, Díaz added that " ...'This procedure that some importers are following is not allowed by the Department of Food Protection (Depa)'."

 

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Imports_More_Meat

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Panama declares emergency on the border with Costa Rica for bovine brucellosis

Thu, 08/30/2018 - 18:39

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The Panamanian authorities have decreed a state of emergency in the border with Costa Rica in order to intensify a campaign to prevent, control and eradicate bovine brucellosis, which has been detected in near a score of herds in the area, an official source reported.

The emergency declaration was published in the official gazette dated August 29, 2018, which recognizes the affected border zone and adjacent areas with Costa Rica.

There have been implemented measures to control animal movement, stamping out and intensifying epidemiological surveillance of herds, slaughter plants, auctions and milk collection centers, according to the official document.

The state of emergency foresees that the Ministry of Agricultural Development are agreeing with other institutions responsible for public health, animal health and with the security bodies, the application of the actions that are necessary for prevention, control and eradication of bovine brucellosis in the determined area.

Public institutions of the agricultural sector in the western province of Chiriquí will make available to the National Directorate of Animal Health support staff, veterinarians, agricultural technicians and the corresponding logistics for the implementation of the action plan, says the official gazette.

Among the arguments to declare the emergency, it is mentioned that at the end of 2017 an increase in the number of reactors was observed in the diagnostic tests for the detection of bovine brucellosis, with two herds officially quarantined.

Also, as a result of the intensification of the epidemiological surveillance, new outbreaks have been detected: 23 herds until April and 18 in June, with an unusual increase in the behavior of the disease in the border and adjacent areas with Costa Rica.

The official gazette reminds that bovine brucellosis is an infectious-contagious disease of worldwide distribution, which can be transmitted to humans, for which it can be a serious, debilitating and sometimes chronic condition that affects various organs.

 

https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/panama-declares-emergency-border-costa-rica-bovine-brucellosis-7715

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The rancher I spoke with told me that sequestered cattle that tested positive by the Aduana were in fact brought here by a local rancher who bought them no doubt at a deal in Costa Rica. .  The rancher was apparently  known to him . He was seriously concerned.  No rancher that has milk cows wants contaminated cattle brought here. 

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Moderator comment: It will be interesting to watch how this plays out over the next year. For instance, it is my understanding that Panama does not have the capacity to produce sufficient milk for the country. Time will tell.

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Panamanian Parliament suspends meat and milk for a year

Tue, 10/09/2018 - 14:52

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The Panamanian Parliament approved today in the third and final reading a bill to stabilize the agricultural sector, suspending all imports of meat and milk producers for a period of 12 months, reported the Legislative Body.

The bill of Law 680 authorizes in that sense the holder of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) to suspend for a year all the imports of these products.

This regulation grants MIDA the power to temporarily postpone imports of agricultural products for human consumption whose demand can be supplied by domestic production.

The bill introduced by opposition deputies Rubén De León, Yanibel Ábrego, Mariela Vega and Javier Ortega, refers to the cuts of meat in carcasses or half-carcases, bone-in pieces and boneless meat included in the suspension of imports.

It also includes the edible offal of fresh or chilled bovine species, chilled or frozen meats of animals of fresh porcine species, breasts, thighs.

Last August, dozens of agricultural producers demonstrated in different parts of Panama and blocked roads to ask the government to urgently solve the crisis in the sector and reduce the "excessive" food imports.

They also criticize the lack of a long-term State policy, which has caused the gradual deterioration of the countryside, which already represents only 2.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

The producers also demand the disappearance of the Panamanian Food Safety Authority (Aupsa), which is in charge of controlling imports, and the creation of a new entity in which they can participate.

 

https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/panamanian-parliament-suspends-meat-and-milk-year-8045

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Meat: The Conflict Between Panama and Nicaragua

For Nicaraguan stockbreeders, the imposition of a 30% tariff on beef imports from Panama violates the conditions established in the trade agreement between the two countries.

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

In Panama, representatives of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Beef Export Plants (Canicarne), reported that the imposition of tariffs and other non-tariff measures for Nicaraguan meat have stockbreeders and industrialists concerned.

Onel Perez, Canicarne's executive director, said to Elnuevodiario.com.ni that "... The measure goes against the Free Trade Agreement between Nicaragua and Panama, setting a duty-free export quota of 2,340 tons of Nicaraguan meat per year."

You may be interested in "Beef: Increasing Business with the US"

With respect to the issue, the president of the National Stockbreeders Commission of Nicaragua (Conagan), René Blandon, explained that "... The Panamanian measure represents another shock for the stockbreeding sector, after the closure of the Venezuelan market and the Honduran blockade of meat."

In addition to the struggle that already exists due to the restrictions on meat purchases from Nicaragua, last week the National Assembly of Panama discussed in the second debate the proposed law 680, which is intended to empower the president of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) to suspend imports of meat products and liquid milk for a period of 12 months.

Also see "More Protectionism"

Eduardo Carles, head of MIDA, said to Prensa.com that "... This initiative has some constitutional gaps that may contradict the trade agreements that the country has signed. The project, which intends to stop imports, has not been approved by consensus and could obviously have negative consequences for the country." See "Proposal to suspend imports of milk and meat."

 

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Meat_The_Conflict_Between_Panama_and_Nicaragua

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Agricultural Imports Suspension

A law was approved in Panama that allows the authorities to temporarily suspend imports of agricultural products for human consumption when local production is enough to meet demand.

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

The Congress approved Ley 680 project, which will allow the Ministry of Development to suspend imports of agricultural products for a period of 12 months. Among the products whose importation may be suspended are meat products and fluid milk.

See "Meat: The Conflict Between Panama and Nicaragua"

Prensa.com states that "... The Government, on the other hand, evaluates the implications that the law would have for the country with respect to the commitments acquired in commercial agreements, since the Ministry of Commerce and Industries analyzes the possible trade implications of suspending such imports."

The legislative body also approved project 682, which consists of the cancellation of arrear payments to rice producers in a period of no more than 90 days.

You may be interested in "More Brazilian Rice in Panama"

The article says that "... This initiative establishes that once the 90-day term has expired, the Government must pay to the producer the amount owed with monthly interest on the equivalent of that applied by the financial agent with whom the agricultural loan is maintained. Producers who work with their own capital will be charged a rate of 3% on the outstanding amount."

 

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Agricultural_Imports_Suspension

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  • Moderator_02 changed the title to Panamanian Parliament suspends meat and milk importation for a year
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Temporary Brake on Bovine Meat Importation

In Panama, the authorities ordered a temporary special agricultural safeguard measure to be applied to imports of beef other than prime and choice beef originating in the United States.

Friday, November 22, 2019

The Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) indicated that this special safeguard, which will be in effect until December 2019, is because imports of this product reached last October, the activation level of the measure agreed in the SPC between Panama and the United States.

You may be interested in "Beef Meat: Regional Sales up to March 2019"

The special safeguard, which consists of an additional import duty between 3.75% and 4.50% for imports of beef originating in the U.S., which are not qualified by the USDA as prime grade or choice meat and should not affect either the price or the availability of the product to the consumer, informed the MICI.

"The MICI, in the exercise of vigilance for the correct application of the mechanisms for the defense of national production included in the trade agreements signed by Panama, maintains a permanent monitoring of imports subject to the special agricultural safeguard mechanism that is part of the Trade Promotion Treaty with the United States, as is the case of beef," adds the statement.

 

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Temporary_Brake_on_Bovine_Meat_Importation

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  • Moderator_02 changed the title to Importation of Beef (Bovine) Meat Products
25 minutes ago, Moderator_02 said:

The special safeguard, which consists of an additional import duty between 3.75% and 4.50% for imports of beef originating in the U.S., which are not qualified by the USDA as prime grade or choice meat and should not affect either the price or the availability of the product to the consumer, informed the MICI.

So, either the measure is completely ineffective or the statement is a lie, correct?

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Panama: Protectionism in the Bovine Meat Market

With the approval of a decree declaring beef and all its edible offal as sensitive products, importers in the country will not be able to opt for tariff exemptions.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

The Cabinet Council approved Cabinet Decree No. 29 dated December 10, 2019, which declares as sensitive products for the national economy all beef, whether fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, smoked, or processed, as well as all edible bovine offal, whether fresh, chilled or frozen, reported the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA).

You may be interested in "Beef Meat: Regional Sales up to March 2019"

This decree was approved with the purpose of preventing importers from avoiding the tariff protection established for this item ranging from 25% to 30% tariff.

The MIDA statement adds that "... By qualifying beef and beef offal as a sensitive product would not be allowed to apply 3% duty exemptions to those importers, industries or processors who import these products as inputs, raw materials, or intermediate goods under the laws of industrial development."

The document specifies that "... The decree excludes raw material that is not available in the country, with the characteristics required by agro-industry such as frozen beef in irregular pieces called trimming."

 

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Protectionism_in_the_Bovine_Meat_Market

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Rules for Trading Bovine Meat in Panama

The Executive will present to the Assembly a proposal that seeks to typify the carcasses and the nomenclature of beef cuts, with the objective of establishing quality parameters in the local market.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

The bill, which must be approved by the National Assembly, takes up the legislation that was repealed in 2013 to return to the classification of meat, which will help producers to sell on the international market and invest in quality, reported the Panamanian government.

You may be interested in "Beef Meat: Regional Sales up to March 2019"

From the MIDA statement:

January 22nd, 2020. The Cabinet Council approved this Tuesday the bill No. 02-20, which establishes the classification of carcasses and the nomenclature of beef cuts, which is an instrument that will modernize the national livestock, allowing the establishment of quality parameters that benefit the Panamanian producer and consumer.

The standard will facilitate commercialization in the international market, and its objective is to update the classifications of cattlecarcasses and cuts for wholesale and retail sale in the local market, as well as the requirements established for imported cattle carcasses and cuts.

The project seeks to establish a compulsory system for classifying cattle carcasses, create a nomenclature of cattle cuts, protect and guarantee that information on cattle cuts purchased by consumers complies with the law, and provide cattle producers with guidance on the quality of meat required by consumers.

Read full statement (In Spanish).

 

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Rules_for_Trading_Bovine_Meat_in_Panama

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Outbreak of Bovine Rabies in Panama

Following an outbreak of paralytic rabies in Veraguas province, local authorities reported that a cordon sanitaire was established to prevent the spread of the disease.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Representatives of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) explained that the quarantined area is equivalent to a 10-km radius from the reported outbreak in Mariato district.

You may be interested in "Beef Meat: Regional Sales up to March 2019"

Concepción Santos Sanjur, MIDA's national director of animal health, told Laestrella.com.pa that "... blood bats are captured, which are the transmitters of paralytic bovine rabies."

Santos added that "... another measure adopted is the vaccination of animals within the quarantined area; also, all animals entering and leaving the quarantined area must have a minimum of 21 days of rabies vaccination."

According to CentralAmericaData reports, Panamanian beef exports total about $15 million per year and its main markets are Taiwan and Jamaica.
 

Source: laestrella.com.pa

 

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Outbreak_of_Bovine_Rabies_in_Panama

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Panama: Proposal to Classify Bovine Meat

A bill has been submitted to the Assembly to create a compulsory system of classification of carcasses and nomenclature of beef cuts.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

The bill, which was presented by the Minister of Agricultural Development (Mida), seeks to create beef cuts, in addition to protecting and guaranteeing information on beef cuts purchased by consumers, the Assembly reported.

You may be interested in "Beef Meat: Regional Sales up to March 2019"

Gerardo González, president of the National Association of Cattlemen (Anagan), explained to Panamaamerica.com.pa that "... the sector needs to have a system for classifying meat for sale, because Panama has lagged behind other countries."

González added that "... In the livestock sector, we intend to make important investments and to have a classification of meat is very valuable for producers."

The initiative, which must be approved by the National Assembly, takes up the legislation that was repealed in 2013 to return to the classification of meat, which will help producers to market their products on the international market and invest in quality, the Panamanian government reported weeks ago.
 

Source: Panamaamerica.com.pa

 


https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Proposal_to_Classify_Bovine_Meat

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