ANAFRIC positively welcomes the decision of the Philippine Government to lift the temporary ban on imports of pork meat and pork products from Spain after officially recognising the Spanish regionalisation system against African swine fever (ASF).
The Philippines authorises Spanish pork imports again
The Philippine Department of Agriculture has confirmed the reopening of the Philippine market to Spanish pork through a circular signed by Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.
The measure allows the resumption of Spanish exports of pork meat, hides and other pork by-products under the sanitary protocols established between both countries.
The temporary suspension had been implemented following the detection of the first ASF outbreak in Spain. However, Philippine authorities now consider that the Spanish veterinary surveillance and sanitary control system provides sufficient guarantees to contain the disease and minimise the risk of transmission.
International recognition of the regionalisation model
The Philippine decision is based on the principle of regionalisation recognised by international animal health organisations, which allows trade restrictions to be limited only to areas affected by the disease, avoiding a total ban on exports from the entire country.
In this regard, the Philippines recognises that Spain maintains areas considered low-risk and subject to strict veterinary and biosecurity controls.
In addition, all trade operations must comply with the bilateral agreements established between Manila and Madrid, as well as Philippine regulations regarding mutual recognition of ASF regionalisation.
An important step for international pork trade
Philippine authorities have stressed that this reopening aims to balance the protection of the national pig industry with the need to guarantee food supply and price stability.
The Philippines continues to recover from the impact of African swine fever on its livestock production and believes that the return of Spanish pork will help strengthen market supply.
Spain is one of the world’s leading pork exporters and has maintained a long-standing trade relationship with the Philippine market.
ANAFRIC highlights the importance of international recognition of Spanish sanitary and veterinary systems, as well as the strategic value of regionalisation in ensuring the continuity of international meat trade with full sanitary guarantees.
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