PH lifts import ban on German beef, animal products
The move was made following the declaration of the European country that it is free from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)—a highly contagious viral infection that affects cloven-hoofed livestock.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., in his Memorandum Order 29, said Germany is now considered FMD-free under the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
As such, Tiu Laurel said, the risk of contamination from importing FMD-susceptible animals, their products, and by-products "is negligible."
The DA chief said German veterinary authorities had submitted all necessary technical documentation and certifications to support the lifting of the ban.
The Agriculture Department had imposed the temporary ban in February, after Germany reported confirmed cases of FMD in domestic buffaloes in Hoppegarten, located in the district of Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg.
The European country notified the WOAH about its FMD outbreak in January.
FMD primarily affects cattle but can also infect pigs, goats, sheep, and other cloven-hoofed animals.
The disease, while rarely transmissible to humans, carries high mortality rates—especially among young livestock—and poses serious economic risks to the agriculture sector.
In 2024, the Philippines imported 3,177.5 metric tons of beef from Germany, which accounted for about 0.5% of the former's total beef imports.
Germany had also been a key pork supplier until 2020, when a separate import ban was imposed due to an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF).
The lifting of the FMD ban signals the potential restoration of broader livestock trade between the Philippines and Germany, according to the Agriculture chief. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
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