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The Philippines is temporarily banning the import of pig and pork products from Spain and Taiwan following confirmation of an African swine fever outbreak in these countries
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Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the Spain import freeze will not drive up prices or tighten supply as inventory levels in cold storages remain high
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All previously approved sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for pigs and pork-related products from Taiwan and Spain are automatically revoked
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For Spain, only frozen pork products produced on or before November 11, and which were loaded/in transit/ accepted unto port on or before December 4, 2025, will be allowed for entry into the Philippines
The Philippines is temporarily banning the import of pig and pork products from Spain and Taiwan following confirmation of an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in these countries.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the Spain import freeze, which covers live pigs, pork meat, pork skin and even semen used for artificial insemination, will not drive up prices or tighten supply.
“Cold storages are full,” he told reporters, noting that inventory levels remain more than enough to meet increased demand during the holidays.
The ban on Spanish pork follows a November 28 report by Spain’s veterinary authorities to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) confirming ASF cases among wild pigs in Sabadel, Valles Occidental in Barcelona.
All sanitary and phytosanitary permits for hog imports from Spain have been automatically revoked.
Only frozen pork products produced on or before November 11, and which were loaded/in transit/ accepted unto port on or before December 4, 2025, will be allowed for entry into the Philippines. Any shipments produced after November 11 shall be returned back to Spain.
The temporary import ban for Taiwan, meanwhile, also covers live pigs and all pork-derived commodities, including semen used for artificial insemination. The order takes effect immediately and will remain in force unless formally revoked, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said in a separate statement.
Taiwanese veterinary officials alerted the WOAH on October 25 to an ASF outbreak affecting domesticated pigs in Taichung City. The infection was confirmed through testing by Taiwan’s Veterinary Research Institute.
The Philippines’ response aligns with the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, which outlines measures for ASF control and prevention.
“We have to be vigilant in preventing further ASF infections to protect jobs and investments in the swine industry and ensure food security and consumers’ health,” Tiu Laurel said, stressing the potential economic fallout should ASF breach local farms again.
READ: PH adjusts rules on swine, pork imports for protection vs ASF
Under the DA order, all previously approved sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for pigs and pork-related products from Taiwan are automatically revoked. Applications for new import clearances for the affected items are suspended until further notice. The DA also directed veterinary quarantine officers at all major ports to stop and confiscate any shipments containing restricted commodities.
DA said the temporary bans reflects lessons learned from previous ASF waves, which caused massive losses for local hog raisers and pushed pork prices higher nationwide.
While pockets of ASF remain under control in parts of the Philippines, agriculture officials say preventing the entry of new strains is vital to stabilizing the sector and restoring investor confidence.
Industry groups are expected to support the ban, viewing it as a necessary safeguard for producers and consumers alike. For now, authorities are tightening biosecurity and monitoring regional developments, determined to keep the country’s pork supply secure.
