Philippines Halts Animal Product Imports from Germany Amid Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak

In a move to curb the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on animal product imports from Germany. The decision follows the confirmation of FMD cases in Germany’s domestic buffalo population in Hoppegarten, Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg, as reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) on January 10. FMD is a highly contagious virus that impacts cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and buffaloes. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stated that the ban will continue until Germany is once again declared FMD-free by WOAH. The DA’s Memorandum Order 08 also suspends the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for products from susceptible animals. However, certain products are exempt from the ban, including ultra-high temperature milk and its derivatives, heat-treated meat products in hermetically sealed containers, protein meal, gelatin, in vivo-derived bovine embryos, limed hides, pickled pelts, and semi-processed leather. Additionally, products already in transit or those that have reached Philippine ports are exempt if they come from animals slaughtered before December 26, 2024.