The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) and the MAGSASAKA party-list (MPL) called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to immediately suspend carabeef imports from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-affected areas in India to safeguard the local livestock industry.
FFF board chairman Leonardo Montemayor and MPL president Argel Joseph Cabatbat highlighted findings from a July to August inspection by the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), which revealed that FMD remains prevalent in Maharashtra and Telangana, states where several exporters supplying the Philippines operate processing facilities.
The BAI also disclosed that the Indian government failed to notify the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) about these outbreaks, raising concerns about transparency and biosecurity.
Despite these findings, Montemayor and Cabatbat expressed surprise that the DA’s National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) conducted site visits to exporters in these affected states in October.
The NMIS report will inform the DA’s review of accredited facilities supplying carabeef to the Philippines.
The two leaders said the Philippine livestock sector, particularly swine producers, still grappling with the widespread African swine fever (ASF), could not endure another outbreak.
They reassured stakeholders that suspending imports from Maharashtra and Telangana would not significantly impact local manufacturers of corned beef, hotdogs and similar products.
“Our meat processors can source carabeef from FMD-free facilities in India,” said the two groups, noting that the country still imports between 32 to 48 million kilograms of carabeef from India annually.
FMD, a highly contagious disease, severely weakens cloven-hoofed animals like hogs, cattle, carabaos, goats, and sheep reducing their productivity in meat and milk.
The Philippines has been recognized as FMD-free by the WOAH since 2011, enabling the country to export livestock products.
