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Archives (2001)
Montemayor bans UK
meat imports
by Rita T. dela Cruz
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January-March
2001
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Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Leonardo
Q. Montemayor recently issued a temporary ban on the importation
of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-susceptible animals, their
meat, meat products, and by-products from the United Kingdom.
Memorandum Order no. 04 Series of 2001 was released after
DA received a report from the Office International des Epizooties
(OIE) or the World Organization for Animal Health confirming
two recent outbreaks of FMD in UK.
Inclusive to this order is the immediate suspension
of the processing, evaluation, and issuance of the Veterinary
Quarantine Clearance or Import Permit for applications relevant
to the importation of the said products from UK by the Bureau
of Animal Industry (BAI). Likewise, all shipments of suspected
or affected products originating from UK was ordered for stoppage
and confiscation by all DA quarantine inspectors/officers
at all major sea/airports. In addition to precautionary measures
on FMD, Montemayor ordered the immediate re-export of the
suspected mad cow disease-contaminated meat that has recently
entered the country to dispel the fears and qualms of the
general public of this disease entering and spreading into
the market.
Prior to this, former DA Secretary Edgardo J.
Angara has already issued Memorandum Order no. 19 Series of
2000, temporarily suspending the importation of animals, their
meat and meat products, bovine embryo, meat and bone-meal
and other feed ingredients derived from these animals from
European countries such as United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium,
Denmark, France, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal,
Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Germany.
Mad cow disease, technically known as the bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a transmissible, neuro-degenerative,
fatal brain disease of cattle. It has an incubation period
of four-five years and is ultimately fatal to cattle within
weeks to months from its onset. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), BSE is associated with a transmissible
agent that affects the brain and spinal cord of cattle and
lesions are characterized by sponge-like changes visible only
through the microscope. It was stressed that this particular
agent was highly stable and could resist freezing, drying,
heating, and even pasteurization and sterilization.  More Articles:
Vol. 3 No. 1
January-March 2001
»»
P15M high impact projects approved for livestock and poultry RDE network
»» Montemayor
bans UK meat imports
»» LDPs of
the DA: an analysis
»» Renewed
role of orivate sector valuable in livestock R&D - study reveals
»» Botanicals
effective against ectoparasites
»» Trichantera:
cheaper feed substitute to soybean oil meal
»» ELISA effective
in FMD diagnosis
»» National
integrated RDE agenda and program for livestock and fisheries
»» Mad cow
disease: know the risks
»»
The livestock and poultry industry: an overview
»» Scientists
find twinning technology in dairy cattle successful
[More
2001 Articles]
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