THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it lifted its temporary ban on imports of live pigs and swine products from Taiwan, where the risk of African Swine Fever (ASF) was deemed insignificant by Philippine authorities.
In Department Circular No. 19, the DA said that, based on its evaluation, the risk of ASF contamination from importing live pigs, pork meat, pig skin, and semen from Taiwan is negligible.
“(The) Ministry of Agriculture and the delegate of Taiwan to the World Organisation for Animal Health (have reported that the ASF outbreak) has been resolved (with) no additional outbreaks,” the DA said.
According to the circular, all import transactions may resume in accordance with existing rules and regulations on pork shipments.
The Bureau of Animal Industry reported that pork shipments from Taiwan totaled 429,079 kilos in 2024, before the ban. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel
