A total of 1,705 kg of frozen meat products consisting of duck, goose, black chicken and frozen pork were seized from Luys Classic Teahouse in Cebu City on June 27, 2023 following a joint operation of the Department of Agriculture Inspectorate and Enforcement (DA-IE) and the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).
The aforementioned items were confiscated as the Chinese restaurant failed to present a certificate of meat importation or COMI.
According to Assistant Secretary James Layug, the operation is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to government agencies to combat agricultural smuggling in order to ensure food safety and food security.
“The DA will bring legal action against violators under Republic Act No. 10611 or Food Safety Act of 2013, and Republic Act No. 10845, also known as the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016,” Layug said.
To safeguard the agricultural industry from economic sabotage and improve the livelihood and well-being of our farmers and fisherfolk, DA-IE headed by Asec. Layug will continue to lead initiatives to protect the agriculture sector. ###
