The Philippines is strengthening oversight of its food sector as food safety, traceability and transparency become increasingly important in international trade.
In September 2025, the country’s Animal Industry Development and Competitiveness Act came into force, reorganising the Bureau of Animal Industry, expanding its regulatory powers and strengthening controls over products of animal origin. The reforms are aimed at reinforcing food safety and improving transparency across the supply chain.
The developments come as Philippine food industry representatives participated in a study mission to Poland in June, organised under the “European Poultry – From Our Farms to Your Tables” campaign and co-funded by the European Union.
The mission provided participants with insights into European poultry production, with a particular focus on food safety, product traceability and veterinary supervision. It included a conference at the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, where delegates learned about risk-based controls, export certification and traceability systems covering different stages of the production chain.
Site visits also demonstrated the practical implementation of European quality and food safety standards, including quality control and traceability systems. Discussions focused on strengthening cooperation and identifying opportunities to expand trade between the European Union, including Poland, and the Philippines.
The Philippines is emerging as an increasingly important market for European poultry products. According to European Commission data from DG AGRI, Philippine imports of poultry meat from the EU reached 67,296 tonnes in 2025, compared with 3,486 tonnes in 2023.
The sharp increase highlights the growing importance of regulatory alignment and mutual understanding of production, food safety and quality standards between the two markets.
Dariusz Goszczyński, President of the National Poultry Council – Chamber of Commerce in Poland, said the Philippines is among the most promising markets outside the EU for the Polish poultry industry.
He added that direct engagement with Philippine industry representatives could support further trade growth, while efforts are also underway to establish regionalisation within the smallest area accepted by Philippine authorities.
According to Goszczyński, such regionalisation would represent another important step towards expanding Polish poultry exports to the Philippines.
