BEEF from the United Kingdom is now safe to eat and the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) has lifted a temporary ban on imports of live cattle and meat, as well as other products, from that country.
Memorandum Order (MO) 45, signed by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., removes the import ban, first imposed in May due to a confirmed case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.
A second memo, issued on May 30, restricted the entry of live cattle and meat products from the UK to prevent the spread of the disease. The ban covered live cattle, meat, bovine processed animal proteins and semen derived from cattle.
The ban was revoked based on an official report the UK submitted to the World Organization for Animal Health.
“Several documentary requirements were requested by the Philippines to veterinary authorities of the United Kingdom in order to assess the public health control measures applied and implemented,” Tiu Laurel said in MO 45.
Quoting the UK report, the memo said, “The case has ended with resolved status and no additional outbreaks after 07 August 2024… Upon careful evaluation of the submitted documents and relevant information, none of the products from the case of BSE has entered the production system nor has been exported to the Philippines.”
Data from the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry showed the UK shipped 3.5 million kilograms (kg) of cattle meat to the Philippines from January to August, or 2.80 percent of total beef imports in 2023.
The UK also delivered 17.19 million kg of poultry and livestock.
Brazil remained the Philippines’ top meat supplier with 313.53 million kg, or 34.5 percent of the country’s total meat imports.
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