Philippines bans Brazil meat imports amid safety concerns

The Philippines halted meat imports from Brazil citing safety concerns on Thursday following a U.S. move to ban fresh Brazilian beef after a high percentage of shipments failed to pass safety checks.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said a Philippine "food safety team" will fly to Brazil on July 26 to inspect facilities at meat exporters.

Brazil, the world's top exporter of beef and poultry, accounts for 6 percent of Philippine meat imports, according to local media reports.

"This involves the health of Filipino consumers and we cannot take the risk," Piñol told Reuters.

China's quality watchdog has stepped up inspections of Brazilian meat imports following the U.S. ban.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)