Three more EU countries added as Singapore’s meat and egg sources
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Greece, Lithuania and Latvia have been added as new import sources for meat and egg products.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
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SINGAPORE – As part of efforts to diversify and expand Singapore’s food sources, the Republic will soon get meat and egg products from three newly approved European Union member states – Greece, Lithuania and Latvia.
They were added to the list of approved countries as part of ongoing reviews of EU member state export applications, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and the EU in Singapore in a joint statement on April 16.
The 15 EU member states that can already export such products to Singapore are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
This builds on the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, which came into force in November 2019 and involved a joint effort between EU member states and the European Commission in collaboration with SFA and the National Parks Board (NParks).
Several changes have also been made to the export agreements in an effort to boost EU-Singapore trade.
To avoid countrywide restrictions and unnecessary trade disruptions to exports, Singapore has recognised EU-wide regionalisation measures for animal diseases such as African swine fever, highly pathogenic avian influenza and foot-and-mouth disease.
This means that when an outbreak occurs, only the affected region is subject to restrictions, rather than the entire country, enabling safe trade from unaffected, disease-free areas.
This allows for the continued export of food from unaffected areas in the EU during animal health outbreaks while maintaining food safety standards, noted SFA’s director-general of food security, Dr Abdul Jalil Abdul Kader.
Additionally, raw materials used in the manufacturing of meat and egg products can be sourced from any Singapore-approved EU member state. For example, a chicken could be hatched in Germany, raised in Poland, slaughtered in the Netherlands and processed in Hungary before it is exported to Singapore.
Previously, animals had to be born and raised in the same EU member state before they and their derived products could be exported to Singapore.
The EU also said it will continue to ensure the highest food safety standards for exports of meat and egg products to Singapore.
These measures and new country approvals will take effect once the authorities of EU member states and SFA have implemented the administrative requirements, said the joint statement.
“This will strengthen Singapore’s efforts to diversify our import sources against food supply disruptions and ensures a reliable supply of safe food for Singapore, which is critical as Singapore imports 90 per cent of our food supply,” said Dr Jalil, who added that Singapore welcomed the collaboration with the EU.
As part of its renewed food security push, Singapore has inked agreements with several countries to maintain food supply and strengthen trade during disruptions since 2025.
They include three recent agreements on rice trade with Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.
Other agreements, such as those with Australia and New Zealand, provide assurance that no trade restrictions will be imposed on essential items such as food.
The EU is Singapore’s fifth-largest goods trading partner. In 2024, bilateral trade in goods grew to over $100 billion, representing 7.8 per cent of the Republic’s total goods trade.
