MANILA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has imposed a temporary ban on all pig and pork imports from Spain following a confirmed African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in the European country, the country's Department of Agriculture said Sunday.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the import freeze, which covers live pigs, pork meat, skin, and semen used for artificial insemination, will not tighten supply or trigger a price spike during the Christmas season.
"Cold storage is full," Tiu Laurel told reporters, stressing that inventories remain more than sufficient to meet the expected surge in holiday demand.
The agency issued the ban after Spain's veterinary authorities reported to the World Organization for Animal Health on Nov. 28 that ASF cases had been detected among wild pigs in Sabadell, Valles Occidental in Barcelona.
Tiu Laurel said the moratorium is necessary to prevent the entry of the ASF virus and protect both domestic and wild pig populations.
All sanitary and phytosanitary permits for hog shipments from Spain have been automatically revoked to safeguard food security and public health, he added.
Under the directive, only frozen pork products produced on or before Nov. 11 and loaded, in transit, or accepted at port on or before Dec. 4 may enter the Philippines. Shipments produced after Nov. 11 will be returned to Spain. ■