DA lifts ban on imports of live cattle, beef from US

The Department of Agriculture (DA) lifted yesterday its order suspending the importation of live cattle, beef and beef products from the United States (US).

Agriculture Secretary Domingo F. Panganiban issued memorandum order 13 calling for the lifting of the ban on the issuance of import permits for these products after the Bureau of Animal Industry’s (BAI) surveillance and monitoring system, including the initiatives undertaken by the US Department of Agriculture (DA) found out that the 12-year old bovine spongiform encephalophathy (BSE) positive cattle did not enter the food and feed chain in the country.

In its monitoring system, only one cattle had tested positive for BSE or mad cow disease out of the nearly 400,000 cattle tested since June 2004.

Panganiban said the lifting of precautionary measures would be subject to the following conditions: Only deboned and deglanded beef from cattle not older than 30 months devoid of any nerves and other BSE-specified risk materials (SRM) will be imported.

Moreover, beef should come only from healthy ambulatory and not downer cattle; the age of the slaughter cattle will be certified by the USDA or a third party accreditation certification company to be accredited by the Philippine Department of Agriculture.

At the same time, the production date or slaughter date of the beef will be included in the packaging label.

Panganiban said all shipments of beef into the country originating from the USA that do not comply with these conditions will be confiscated by all DA veterinary quarantine officers and inspectors at all major ports of the country.

BAI’s move earlier this month was prompted by the confirmation from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge England that a cow in the US had tested positive for BSE.

Moreover, there is scientific evidence that the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (nvCJD or vCJD) in humans could be transmitted by eating BSE-infected animals.

The Philippines is one of the many countries worldwide that imports beef from the US as well as beef products from cattle that are 30 months and younger, deboned and devoid of SRM.

While Australia remains the prime source of beef products, the Philippines continue to import beef from the US. As of June 27, 2005, beef imports from the US totaled 759,683 kilograms.