DA temporarily bans import of live cattle from Libya, 3 other countries
THE Depar t ment of Agriculture (DA) has banned temporarily the importation of live cattle, buffaloes, and their products and by- products from Libya and three other countries.
This is to prevent the spread of lumpy skin disease ( LSD) among the country’s local cattle population, the DA said. LSD is a viral infection that can be fatal for cattle, the agency said on Saturday, Feb. 3.
Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed Memorandum Order No. 06 series of 2024 on Feb. 1 ordering the temporary ban of imports of such items from Libya, Russia, South Korea, and Thailand.
Laurel ordered the immediate suspension in accordance with the recommendations of the World Organisation for Animal Health ( WOAH) Terrestrial Animal Health Code Article 11.9, the DA said.
“Safe commodities ( skeletal muscle meat, gelatine and collagen, tallow, hooves and horns) are still allowed to be imported from the said country as long as the country is accredited to import following the import terms and conditions of the Philippines,” the DA said.
“LSD is a cattle disease caused by a virus that is transmitted by blood-sucking insects such as mosquitoes and tic ks, and causes fever, nodules on the skin and may even cause death, particularly those that have had no previous exposure. The virus can cause significant production losses but can be controlled either by culling or by vaccination,” it added.
LSD, which originated in Africa, was first reported as an outbreak in Vietnam and Myanmar in 2020, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
It then spread to Thailand and Laos in 2021.
No cases of LSD have been reported so far in the Philippines and Indonesia, the organization said.
Laurel ordered the confiscation, seizure and disposal of live cattle and buffaloes as well as products and by-products coming from
Libya, Russia, South Korea and Thailand of shipments that do not comply with the memorandum, the DA said.
He also tasked the DA’s Veterinary Quarantine Office to conduct more rigorous and tighter inspections of live cattle and buffaloes arriving in the country, as well as their products and byproducts.