The Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on the importation from Germany of commodities derived from animals susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease after the European nation reported outbreaks of the highly contagious virus that affects cloven-hoofed livestock.

On January 10, Germany notified the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) of confirmed FMD cases in domestic buffaloes in the municipality of Hoppegarten, located in the district of Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg.

FMD is a highly contagious viral infection that primarily affects livestock, especially cattle. Other cloven-hoofed animals, including pigs, sheep, goats, and buffaloes, are also susceptible. The disease poses a high mortality rate, particularly among young animals.

In 2024, the Philippines imported 3,177.5 metric tons of beef from Germany, accounting for approximately 0.5% of the country’s total beef imports. Germany had also been a significant source of pork until 2020 when the DA imposed a separate ban due to an outbreak of African Swine Fever in Germany.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. stated that the import ban will remain in place until Germany regains its FMD-free status from WOAH based on Memorandum Order  no. 08  issued last February 10, 2025. He also ordered a suspension on the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances.

However, certain products are exempt from the ban, including 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, subject to the Philippines’ import terms and conditions. Additionally, products already in transit or at ports are also exempt, provided they were sourced from animals slaughtered before December 26, 2024. ###