Government authorities have seized smuggled poultry products worth P40 million, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Monday.
Led by DA, Bureau of Customs and other government agencies, the team conducted an operation on March 2 and found misdeclared agricultural products that were purported to consist of squid rings but instead contained dressed chicken, duck heads and duck necks, worth approximately P40 million.
The confiscation of the said shipment is part of the government’s campaign to curb illegal trade activity to enable Filipino farmers and fishers to increase income and make locally grown agricultural produce more competitive.
Moreover, the DA will immediately initiate prosecution against the two consignees of containers under Abucayan Business and Trade, which were placed on alert order for the misdeclaration and misclassification of the shipment.
In February, authorities also seized a total of P202.5 million worth of smuggled agricultural and fishery products during separate operations at the Manila International Container Port.
The DA said the smuggled goods originated from Hong Kong and China.
Nine of the 24 vans apprehended belonged to Seaster Consumer Goods, which were found to contain fresh red and white onions with a total estimated market value of ₱77.8 million, the agency said.
Image credits: Department of Agriculture