DA lifts ban on Taiwan pork imports

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April 30, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted its temporary ban on pork imports from Taiwan, after it was cleared from African swine fever (ASF).

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the Philippines can now resume importation of domestic and wild pigs and its by-products, including meat, pig skin and semen from Taiwan.

The DA said it had confirmed all reported cases of ASF in Taiwan were resolved with no additional outbreak being reported.

In December 2025, Tiu Laurel ordered a temporary ban on all imports of wild and domestic pigs from Taiwan due to an outbreak of ASF.

Taiwan, last October, reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) an outbreak of ASF among domesticated pigs in Taichung City. It was confirmed through laboratory tests by its Veterinary Research Institute.

The DA said in a previous order that there is a need to prevent the entry of the ASF virus to protect the health of domestic pigs and their products.

Citing an official report from the Taiwanese Ministry of Agriculture to the WOAH, Tiu Laurel said that there were no additional outbreaks of ASF logged.

“Based on the evaluation of the DA, the risk of contamination from importing live pigs, pork meat, pig skin and semen is negligible,” the agency added.

The DA added that all import transactions of pig and pork meat imports from Taiwan may begin in accordance with existing rules and regulations.

The Philippines had imported 23,342 kilogram of pork meat from Taiwan before the temporary ban was placed last year, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry.