The Department of Agriculture has temporarily banned the importation of animal products from Germany following confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease in the country.
The outbreak was reported in domestic buffaloes in Hoppegarten, Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg, and was officially confirmed to the World Organization for Animal Health on January 10.
Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral infection that affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and buffaloes.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stated that the ban will remain in effect until Germany regains its FMD-free status from the international health body.
Under Memorandum Order 08, the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for products derived from susceptible animals has also been suspended.
Certain items are exempted 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, and processed animal hides and leather.
The order also allows entry for shipments already in transit or those that arrived at Philippine ports, as long as the products were sourced from animals slaughtered before December 26, 2024.
