PH bans importation of cattle, buffalo from Japan

The Philippines, through the Department of Agriculture (DA), has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of live cattle and buffalo, as well as their products, from Japan following an outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD).

In a statement, the DA stressed the importance of the import ban to protect the local livestock industry from potential risks posed by LSD—a viral disease that primarily affects cattle and often leads to severe complications or death.

According to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), LSD is a disease of cattles characterised by fever, nodules on the skin, mucous membranes and internal organs, emaciation, enlarged lymph nodes, oedema of the skin, and even death.

“The disease is of economic importance as it can cause a temporary reduction in milk production, temporary or permanent sterility in bulls, damage to hides and, occasionally, death,” the WOAH said.

Import ban

The import ban covers live animals and even products and by-products, including unpasteurized milk and milk products, embryos, skin, and semen of cattle and water buffalos used for artificial insemination.

Exempted from the ban are products that meet Philippine import and health standards. These include skeletal muscle meat, casings, gelatin and collagen, tallow, hooves and horns, blood meal and flour, bovine and water buffalo bones and hides, and pasteurized milk.

According to the DA, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reported the LSD outbreak to the World Organization for Animal Health on November 15, 2024. — Giselle Ombay/RSJ, GMA Integrated News