File photo of Canadian beef on display in a grocery store in the Philippines. (Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Philippines ends import block on Canadian beef

Ban imposed following atypical BSE finding

The Philippines has lifted the temporary suspension on imports of Canadian beef it imposed after the discovery of Canada’s first case of BSE in six years. Manila had announced its temporary ban following the confirmation in mid-December of atypical BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in a beef cow in central Alberta. Korea imposed and later lifted

Bulalo, a Filipino soup dish made with boiled bone-in beef shank. (Jun Pinzon/iStock/Getty Images)

China, Philippines suspend beef imports from Canada on BSE case

Winnipeg | Reuters –– China and the Philippines have suspended imports of Canadian beef due to Canada’s detection in December of a cow infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), a spokesperson for Canada’s agriculture department said on Monday. The moves follow an import suspension by South Korea last month, after Canada reported its first BSE


Philippines says swine fever cases waning

The Philippines’ Agriculture Ministry said August 19 active cases of African swine fever were declining and confined to less than one per cent of the nearly 3,000 villages that recorded outbreaks since the first cases were detected in 2019. The fall in infections and an ongoing government-funded hog repopulation program had put the Southeast Asian

Golden Rice grain compared to white rice grain in screenhouse of Golden Rice plants.

Philippines approves genetically modified rice

Critics say ‘Golden Rice’ hasn’t received adequate scrutiny on safety and nutrition

The Philippines has approved genetically modified “Golden Rice” for human consumption, but its approval may be premature, the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network said in a news release Dec. 20. The country hasn’t approved the crop for cultivation, but if it does, the grain could be the first genetically modified rice grown in the world, the





(Merschman Seeds video screengrab via YouTube)

Corteva wins final OK for global launch of Enlist E3 soy

Chicago | Reuters — DowDuPont has won the final international regulatory approval needed, from the Philippines, for a global launch of a new line of genetically engineered soybeans, the company said on Thursday. The approval means seed companies can sell the soybeans, named Enlist E3, to farmers for planting as early as this spring without



Expansion-minded Jollibee opened its first-ever Canadian outlet in Winnipeg at the end of 2016. (Dave Bedard photo)

Philippines’ Jollibee eyes deals to grow

Manila/Singapore | Reuters — Filipino billionaire Tony Tan Caktiong, who has built Jollibee Foods Corp. into a near-4,000 store purveyor of sweet-style spaghetti, burgers and fried chicken, is looking to buy existing brands in mature markets to help fuel future growth. Dominant at home, where Jollibee has 1,000 eponymous stores welcoming diners with its smiling