By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Prevention is better than cure, as the adage goes as the Department of Agriculture (DA) banned temporarily the importation of live cattle, buffaloes, and their products and by-products from Libya and three other countries.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Tiu Laurel Jr. on Saturday (February 3) said the move is aimed to prevent the spread of lumpy skin disease (LSD) among the country’s local cattle population.
“LSD is a cattle disease caused by a virus that is transmitted by blood-sucking insects such as mosquitoes and ticks, 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,” the DA said in a statement.
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.
He also 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 statement 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 agency’s statement further said.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the LSD, which originated in Africa, was first reported as an outbreak in Vietnam and Myanmar in 2020 and then spread to Thailand and Laos in 2021.
No cases of LSD have been reported so far in the Philippines and Indonesia, the NCBI said.
Nevertheless, Tiu 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.
(rl Amigo/MNM)
