Philippines bans pork imports from Spain, Taiwan over swine fever outbreaks

The Philippines has temporarily banned imports of pigs and pork products from Spain and Taiwan following outbreaks of African swine fever in both locations, Manila's agriculture ministry has announced. 

The import freeze, announced separately on Sunday for Spain and Monday for Taiwan, covers live pigs and pork-derived products, including semen used for artificial insemination. 

"We have to be vigilant in preventing further ASF infections to protect jobs and investments," Agriculture Minister Francisco Tiu Laurel said in a statement on Monday. 

The ban on pork from Spain, the European Union's biggest producer, follows a November 28 report by the country's veterinary authorities confirming to the World Organization for Animal Health the presence of ASF cases among wild pigs in Barcelona. 

Import clearances for both Taiwan and Spain have been "automatically revoked", the ministry said. 

Only frozen pork products produced in Spain on or before November 11 and loaded on or before December 4 will be allowed entry into the Philippines, the ministry added. 

African swine fever is not harmful to humans but spreads rapidly among pigs and wild boar. A number of countries have already reacted to its spread in Spain.