February 13, 2025

Philippines stops import of animal products from Germany over FMD concerns

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) on February 12 announced the temporary ban on the import of animal products from Germany to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

This came after Germany confirmed FMD cases among its domestic buffaloes in Hoppegarten, Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg before the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) on January 10.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the ban would "remain in place until Germany regains its FMD-free status from WOAH."

Under DA Memorandum Order 08, the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for products from susceptible animals is also suspended.

Some products, however, are exempted, among them "ultra-high temperature milk and derivatives, heat-treated meat products in hermetically sealed containers, protein meal and gelatin, in vivo-derived bovine embryos, as well as limed hides, pickled pelts, and semi-processed leather."

The order also exempts products already in transit or have arrived at the country's ports, provided they were from animals slaughtered before December 26, 2024.

- PNA