South Korea opens its ‘huge’ doors to Philippine poultry
The move came after Korean authorities deemed Filipino poultry products compliant with safety and regulatory standards.
A spokesperson from the Philippine’s BAI said that its poultry industry had been vying for Korean market entry forsome time now on the basis of its avian influenza (AI) free status, especially given that AI has crippled poultry industries in the region.
“This is great news for the local poultry industry,” the spokesperson told FoodNavigator-Asia.
“Chicken from triple-A slaughterhouses may enter South Korea now. We have been told that our chicken products comply with their requirements. Our trade and agriculture departments have been notified,” he said.
“The South Korean market is as huge as the Japanese market,” he said, a large and important importer for Filipino poultry firms.
The Philippines is the top exporter of Yakitori chicken to Japan, he said, which has relied on the country’s poultry products since the onslaught of the AI virus in Thailand.
“The Japan corridor means we already have the necessary market and shipping linkages in place,” to succeed in gaining traction in the South Korean market, he said.
Preference for the Philippines?
South Korea predominantly imports its poultry products from the US, he noted, but this shift will give the country access to cheaper products from the Philippines.
The BAI spokesperson added that the country is also set on entering South Korea’s pork market and said that discussions between the countries are ongoing on this move.
