• The Department of Agriculture has temporarily banned imports of animal products from Germany following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease
• Germany confirmed FMD cases in domestic buffaloes in Hoppegarten, Brandenburg, on January 10, as reported to the World Organization for Animal Health
• The Philippines imported 3,177.5 metric tons of beef from Germany in 2024, making up 0.5% of total beef imports and was also a key pork supplier until a 2020 ban due to African Swine Fever
• The ban, effective under Memorandum Order No. 08, issued on February 10, will stay until Germany regains FMD-free status
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has temporarily banned imports of animal products from Germany following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the European nation, the agency said in a statement.
Germany reported confirmed FMD cases in domestic buffaloes in the municipality of Hoppegarten, Brandenburg, on January 10, according to a notification to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).
In 2024, the Philippines imported 3,177.5 metric tons of beef from Germany, accounting for approximately 0.5% of the country’s total beef imports. Germany was previously a key supplier of pork, but the DA banned imports of German pork in 2020 following an outbreak of African Swine Fever.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the ban will remain in place until Germany regains FMD-free status from WOAH. The measure, outlined in Memorandum Order No. 08 issued on February 10, also includes a suspension of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for affected commodities.
FMD is a highly contagious viral infection that primarily affects cloven-hoofed livestock, including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and buffaloes. The disease poses a high mortality risk, particularly among young animals.
However, the order provides exemptions for specific animal products, including ultra-high temperature milk, heat-treated meat in hermetically sealed containers, protein meal, gelatin, in vivo-derived bovine embryos, as well as limed hides, pickled pelts, and semi-processed leather, “subject to the Philippines’ import terms and conditions.”
Additionally, products already in transit or at ports will be allowed entry if sourced from animals slaughtered before December 26, 2024.
