DA imposes temporary ban on pork import from Taiwan

The Department of Agriculture has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of live pigs as well as pork meat, pig skin, and other related products from Taiwan due to the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak. 

According to DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the immediate moratorium covers live pigs and all pork-derived commodities, including semen used for artificial insemination. 

The order takes effect immediately and will remain in force unless formally revoked, he said. 

“We have to be vigilant in preventing further ASF infections to protect jobs and investments in the swine industry and ensure food security and consumers’ health,” Tiu Laurel said in a press release. 

On October 25, Taiwanese veterinary officials alerted the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) to an ASF outbreak affecting domesticated pigs in Taichung City. 

The infection was confirmed through testing by Taiwan’s Veterinary Research Institute. 

The DA said that the Philippines’ response aligns with the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, which outlines measures for ASF control and prevention.

The DA said that all previously approved Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances for pigs and pork-related products from Taiwan are automatically revoked. 

Meanwhile, applications for new import clearances for the affected items are suspended until further notice. 

The DA also ordered veterinary quarantine officers at all major ports to stop and confiscate any shipments containing restricted commodities.

While pockets of ASF remain under control in parts of the Philippines, agriculture officials said that preventing the entry of new strains is ''vital to stabilizing the sector and restoring investor confidence.'' —AOL, GMA Integrated News