The Department of Agriculture (DA) imposed a temporary ban on importing animal-derived commodities from Germany following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the European nation.
Germany confirmed FMD cases in domestic buffaloes in Hoppegarten, Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) on Jan. 10, 2025.
FMD is a severe viral infection with a high mortality rate, particularly among young animals. The highly contagious virus affects cloven-hoofed livestock, including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and buffaloes.
The Philippines imported 3,177.5 metric tons of beef from Germany in 2024, or about 0.5 percent of its total beef imports.
Germany also supplied pork to the Philippines in 2020, until the DA banned imports due to an African Swine Fever outbreak.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the ban would remain until Germany regains its FMD-free status from WOAH.
The DA also suspended the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances.
It said certain products are exempt from the ban, including ultra-high temperature milk and derivatives, heat-treated meat in hermetically sealed containers, protein meal, gelatin, in vivo-derived bovine embryos and processed hides and leather.
Products already in transit or at ports are also exempt, provided they were sourced from animals slaughtered before Dec. 26, 2024.