THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said that it lifted a ban on meat imports from Russia after veterinary officials declared that country free of foot and mouth disease (FMD).
In Memorandum Order No. 3, the DA said that it would now allow shipments animals susceptible to foot and mouth disease, their products and byproducts, from Russia.
“All import transactions of the above commodities shall be in accordance with existing rules and regulations of the (DA),” it added.
Citing reports from the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in the Republic of the Philippines and the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH), the DA said that Russia was FMD-free without vaccination.
According to the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, a country may be considered FMD-free without vaccination when no other infection has been reported and there is proper surveillance from veterinary authorities.
The DA ban was first imposed in 2013 when the outbreak was first detected.
FMD is highly transmissible, causing lesions and lameness in cattle, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed animals. The disease does not affect humans.
The DA had earlier, banned imports of buffalo meat from India following an outbreak of FMD on the states of Bihar, Maharashtra, and Telangana.
The issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary clearances for buffalo meat was subsequently halted for products from the three states. — Adrian H. Halili