The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the ban on pork from Germany stays as fresh cases of African swine fever (ASF) have been reported in that country.
The ban on domestic and wild pigs, pork products and by-products from Germany had been in place since July.
The DA said Germany through the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut said the disease was reported in Schenkendí¶bern, Spree-NeiíŸe, Brandenburg, af fecting wild boars.
The DA said this was also reported last week by Dietrich Rassow, Germany’s director for animal health and animal welfare and chief veterinary officer to the World Organization for Animal Health.
Agriculture secretary William Dar said processing and evaluation of the application and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance to pork related products from Germany also stays and can be confiscated by veterinary quarantine officers at all major ports of entry.
According to data from the Bureau of Animal Industry, the country brought a total of 28,452,690 kg of pork from Germany prior to the said ban. The said figure is 8 percent of the 335,786,890 kg of total pork imported by the Philippines in 2019.
Meanwhile, from January to July this year, of the 118,725,613 kg of pork purchased by the country abroad, most of it came from Spain with 39,770,514 kg. or 33 percent.