DA bans Greek meat imports as precaution against FMD
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has temporarily barred the entry of animals and animal products from Greece, which has reported an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
“By enforcing a temporary ban and tightening import controls, we aim to protect the health of our livestock, ensure food security, and preserve the stability of our agricultural economy,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday after he issued Department Circular No. 20.
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“This circular is a critical and proactive step to shield our country from the potentially devastating effects of foot-and-mouth disease,” he said.
The DA immediately suspended the processing, evaluation and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance for animals and animal products from the European country.
But all shipments that are in transit, loaded or accepted into port on or before the circular’s effectivity will be allowed, provided that the products were slaughtered or produced on or before Feb. 28.
Shipments of the prohibited items will be confiscated by all veterinary quarantine officers or inspectors at all major ports of entry.
The DA enforced the import ban as Greek authorities informed the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) of FMD cases in Pelopi, Lesvos, that infected domestic sheep.
As defined by WOAH, FMD is a severe, highly contagious viral disease that infects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed ruminants, affecting livestock production and disrupting the trade in animals and animal products.
