DA bans entry of FMD-prone animals, meat from Argentina

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has temporarily banned the entry of foot and mouth disease (FMD)-susceptible animals and their meat and by-products from Argentina after a reported outbreak in several regions in that country.

Agriculture Secretary Domingo F. Panganiban said the ban is being imposed based on the report of an outbreak by Dr. Jorge Nestor Amaya, president of the National Agrifood Health and Quality Service, the Secretariat for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of Argentina.

Amaya confirmed an FMD Type O outbreak in several regions in Argentina in his report submitted to the Office International des Epizooties last month.

Panganiban said that to prevent the entry of FMD-susceptible animals in the Philippines, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) will also stop and confiscate all shipments of FMD-susceptible animals, their products and by-products originating from Argentina.

Moreover, BAI will suspend the issuance of veterinary quarantine clearance to importers seeking to buy these commodities from Argentina.

Currently, the Philippines does not buy any meat products from Argentina.

The FMD Type O, named Pan-Asia is said to be a pandemic strain.

It was first identified in northern India in 1990 and spread westwards into Saudi Arabia during 1994 and, subsequently, throughout the Near East and into Europe.

There are reported incidents in mainland China (Tibet, Fujian and Hainan) and then detected in Taiwan. In late 1999 and in 2000 it reached most of Southeast Asia. Most recently it has been introduced into the Republic of Korea, Japan, the Primorsky Territory of the Russian Federation and Mongolia.

The virus has been isolated from a wide variety of host species (cattle, water buffaloes, pigs, sheep, goats, camels, deer and antelope).