Samoa lifts ban on turkey tails imposed five years ago
Samoa has lifted an import ban on turkey tails that it imposed five years ago.
Transcript
Samoa has lifted an import ban on turkey tails that it imposed five years ago.
The ban was put in place due to health concerns over the increase of non-communicable diseases partly put down to diets containing too much high fat meat.
Some are arguing that in lifting the ban Samoa is putting trade ahead of the health of its own people.
Jamie Tahana reports:
Our correspondent in Samoa, Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia, says that despite concerns from health officials, the ban was lifted in order for Samoa to gain entry into the World Trade Organisation.
AUTAGAVAIA TIPI AUTAGAVAIA: This is the outcome of the negotiations between our government and top officials of the World Trade Organisation and the negotiation that was announced by the government was that after a year of becoming a member of the WTO, then Samoa will lift a ban on turkey tails and that's the outcome. Today is 1 July, and today is one year now.
The Ministry of Health's Consultant Specialist Physician on Public Health, Dr Take Naseri, says Samoa has a huge problem with obesity and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. He says the ban was put in place to try and improve the diets of Samoans and combat the NCD crisis it's currently in.
TAKE NASERI: Samoa is in an NCD crisis. We have a lot of cases that are referred over to New Zealand due to heart problems, due to high cholesterol, high-fat diets. And turkey tail, which was very cheap, was one of the regular diets.
But our correspondent says while turkey tails were banned, other cheap, high-fat meats, such as chicken and mutton flaps from New Zealand were still able to be imported. Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia says the WTO has argued the ban has had no effect on the number of people with NCDs, which has kept increasing.
AUTAGAVAIA TIPI AUTAGAVAIA: The ban on turkey tails did not stop the increase in the number of people being affected with non-communicable diseases.
However, Autagavaia says the government has introduced strict restrictions on the import of turkey tails to try and ease fears about the impact the move will have on people's health. As a result, turkey tails will only be able to used for private consumption and not for any commercial purposes, and an import duty of 300 percent has also been set. Dr Take Naseri says he hopes these restrictions are enough.
AUTAGAVAIA TIPI AUTAGAVAIA: From the experience of the mutton flaps, which is very expensive now, hardly anyone is eating that, so we're yet to see the impact of these conditions. But the ministry can still not change the position on the ill effects of turkey tails on the health of the population as a whole.
But Dr Naseri says he still feels the Samoa government has put trade ahead of the health of its own people.
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