Philippines to allow Spanish pork imports despite ASF
Manila lifts blanket ban, adopting a regional approach to trade
25 May 2026
1 minute read
By: The Philippines will allow pork imports from parts of Spain unaffected by African swine fever (ASF), lifting a blanket ban imposed after Spain reported its first cases of the disease in more than three decades last year, Reuters reported, citing the Spanish government on Friday.
Agriculture Minister Luis Planas said in a post on X that the Philippines was a strategic market for Spain.
Spain has been negotiating with non-EU countries to adopt a regionalisation approach, under which trade restrictions apply only to affected areas. China was among the first to agree to the scheme.
Spain is the European Union's largest pork producer. It detected its first ASF cases in wild boar in November 2025. The cases were found in the north‑eastern region of Catalonia, dealing a blow to exports.
Authorities recorded 51 outbreaks with 322 positive cases. No pig farms were affected. The affected area covers 13 municipalities near Barcelona.
