The Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday it imposed a temporary ban on importing animals and animal-derived products from Slovakia after cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) were confirmed among domestic cattle.
Slovak veterinary authorities reported the outbreak to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) on March 2, 2025, identifying Dunajská Streda in the Trnavský region as the affected area.
While the WOAH classified the Philippines as FMD-free, the import ban is a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the FMD virus and protect susceptible animals such as swine, cattle, carabaos and goats, the DA said.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. ordered a temporary halt on the importation of live swine, bovines, and water buffaloes, along with products such as semen, skeletal muscle meat, casings, tallow, hooves and horns.
Exempted from the ban are certain items including UHT milk and its derivatives, heat-treated meat in hermetically sealed containers, protein meals, gelatin, in vivo-derived bovine embryos, limed hides, pickled pelts, and semi-processed leather.
Shipments already in transit, loaded or accepted into port before the order’s communication to Slovak authorities may still enter, provided the items were produced or slaughtered on or before March 6 and test negative for FMD upon arrival.
The DA said it also suspended the processing, evaluation and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for affected products.