News Details

DA Halts Cattle, Buffalo Imports from France, Italy Over LSD Outbreaks

NPO

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August 11, 2025

MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has ordered a temporary ban on the importation of live cattle and water buffalo, including their products and by-products, from France and Italy following confirmed outbreaks of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).

The ban, detailed in Memorandum Orders 43 and 44 signed on August 1, 2025, also covers embryos and semen. Exemptions apply to salt-treated hides, certain processed meat products, gelatine, collagen, tallow, hooves, horns, and pasteurized milk and dairy items.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the move is a precautionary measure to protect the local livestock sector from LSD—a highly contagious viral disease that affects cattle and buffalo, causing fever, skin nodules, reduced milk yield, weight loss, and potential trade disruptions. It is mainly spread by blood-feeding insects such as flies, mosquitoes, and ticks.

Italy reported the outbreak on July 18 in Orani, Nuoro, Sardegna, confirmed by its National Reference Centre for Exotic Animal Diseases. France’s outbreak was detected in Chambéry on June 23 and verified by its veterinary office.

The DA said the ban aligns with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards and existing Philippine regulations. It will remain in place until further notice, pending containment and eradication updates from the affected countries.

NPO News Team

DA-PR