DA lifts ban on imported canned pork

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted a temporary ban on the import of canned pork products in the Philippines, which has been in place since 2019. This decision comes in Department Circular 42, issued on August 11. The ban was imposed to safeguard animal health and protect the local swine industry by restricting the importation of meat and meat products from countries affected by African swine fever (ASF).

The DA clarified that the ban applies only to imported pork and pork products originating from ASF-affected countries. To comply with the DA's guidelines, pork products must be industrially manufactured, hermetically sealed, and heat-treated. Furthermore, the canned product must have valid registration in the Philippines.

A biosecurity risk analysis conducted by the DA on January 13 concluded that the trade of meat products can be limited to industrially manufactured and hermetically sealed pork products that have undergone thermal sterilization. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Safe Commodities principle asserts that specific industrial treatments, such as hermetic sealing and thermal sterilization, effectively neutralize the ASF virus when meat is treated for at least 30 minutes at a minimum temperature of 70 degrees Celsius.