Government will prohibit the importation of mutton flaps effective on July 1.
The ban does not include lamb shank, lamb chops and lamb neck, lamb shank. These are young sheep’s meat under one year of age.
The Hon. Minister of Finance Hon. Tēvita Lavemaau announced this during his discussion of the Minister of Inland Revenue and Custom’s vote.
This is government’s effort to promote healthy living and the fight against non-communicable diseases like diabetes and obese. Tonga is one of the country with highest level of type 2 diabetes in the world.
One of the causes of this trend is greatly attributed to the consumption of fatty mutton flaps.
Mutton flaps are fatty kind of meat and it is also refer to the older sheep’s meat. They are the discarded parts of the sheep which has a huge impact on people’s health especially diabetes and obesity.
All imported goods have tax serial number and according to the Hon. Minister of Finance mutton flaps entering Tonga will be prohibited starting on July 1.