The Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted import bans on animal products from Germany and Belgium after both countries declared recent livestock disease outbreaks resolved.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. confirmed in separate memorandum orders that Germany is now free from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), while Belgium has contained its outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1). Both declarations comply with World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) standards.
The DA had imposed a temporary ban on German meat in February following FMD cases in domestic buffaloes in Brandenburg. With the outbreak now cleared and all required documentation submitted, the DA said the risk of importing FMD-susceptible animals and by-products is “negligible.”
Germany supplied 3,177.5 metric tons of beef to the Philippines in 2024, representing about 0.5 percent of total beef imports.
Meanwhile, the poultry ban in Belgium was lifted after its veterinary authorities confirmed no new bird flu cases since Feb. 28, 2025. The ban had covered poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and related products.
