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Livestock farmers, traders and processors can now freely transport their animals and meat products within the country, as long as appropriate permits are secured from concerned agencies of the Department of Agriculture.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said this is one of the favorable results of the recent recognition and declaration of the entirePhilippines as free from foot and mouth disease (FMD) without vaccination by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or World Organization for Animal Health, on May 26, 2011.
Secretary Alcala recently signed Administrative Order (AO) No. 19, August 2, 2011, lifting all FMD-related transport restrictions for swine, cattle, carabao, sheep, goats, and other cloven-footed animals, including their meat, meat products, and other by-products nationwide.
However, he urged livestock farmers, processors and traders to remain vigilant to maintain the FMD-free status of the country. In fact, under AO 19, the DA and its concerned livestock agencies in partnership with livestock farmers and industry stakeholders will continue to implement an FMD monitoring and preventive plan, maintain a stock of FMD vaccines, and ensure that requirements are complied with prior to transport of animals, their meat, meat products, and other by-products.
As a requirement, farmers and traders wanting to transport live animals should first secure a written authority or permit from the director of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) or his duly authorized representative. The BAI will also issue a veterinary health certificate to attest that the animals are healthy and come from areas free of any outbreak or disease.
Meanwhile, processors and traders are required to secure a certificate of meat inspection from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) when they intend to transport meat and meat products,
Department of Agriculture/Philipinnes.
http://www.da.gov.ph
