The Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted its years-long ban on the importation of processed pork products from South Korea, helping ease domestic pork supply pressures and signaling a renewed chapter in agricultural trade between the two nations.
The policy change, authorized under Memorandum Order No. 23 and signed by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on 2 May 2025, follows the results of a comprehensive Import risk analysis conducted on 8 April. The findings affirmed that properly sterilized pork products from South Korea meet international safety benchmarks set by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).
“The IRA highlighted South Korea’s robust veterinary oversight and ASF control systems,” the DA said in a statement released Monday. The agency cited the products’ shelf-stability, secure packaging, and compliance with required heat treatment protocols—either an F0 value of 3 or heating at a minimum of 70°C for at least 30 minutes—as key factors in the risk reassessment.
The import ban was first implemented in 2019 amid widespread outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) globally, a move aimed at protecting the local swine industry. But as global controls and scientific methodologies evolved, the DA said it was time to recalibrate its import strategy.
Market analysts view the lifting of the ban as a strategic response to tight domestic pork supplies and elevated consumer prices. “This could improve price stability by increasing availability in the market, especially for processed meat segments,” said an agribusiness economist at the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
While the DA emphasized that only sterilized and properly packaged pork products would be allowed entry, the decision is also seen as a signal of warming agri-trade ties between the Philippines and South Korea.
“With this policy shift, more pork products are anticipated to be available to consumers in the Philippines,” the DA said. “It may also indicate a potential thaw in agri-trade relations between the two countries.”
