THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said fresh and chilled beef from Brazil will be permitted to enter the Philippine market after that country was deemed free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
In Department Order No. 9, the DA included fresh and chilled meat, as well as fats of bovine animals, from accredited foreign meat establishments in Brazil on the list of allowable imports.
The DA said Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock had requested the inclusion of additional meat products, particularly beef, following its recognition as an FMD-free country without vaccination.
In May 2025, the World Organisation for Animal Health officially declared Brazil free of FMD, a highly contagious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, and sheep.
Brazil is the Philippines’ largest source of imported meat, with shipments amounting to 679.24 million kilograms in 2025, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry.
Of the total, beef imports from Brazil amounted to 92.05 million kilograms, accounting for 44.38% of all beef imports during the year. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel
