Image from DA.
  • The Philippines has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of live cattle and buffalo, as well as their products and by-products, from France and Italy following confirmed outbreaks of Lumpy Skin Disease

  • Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the measure is a precautionary step to safeguard the country’s livestock industry from LSD

  • The import restriction will remain in effect until further notice, pending developments in containment and eradication efforts in the affected countries

The Philippines has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of live cattle and buffalo, as well as their products and by-products, from France and Italy following confirmed outbreaks of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).

The ban also covers the embryos and semen, the Department of Agriculture (DA) in a statement.

Exempted from the import ban are hides that have been salt-treated or subjected to ante- and post-mortem; meal and flour from blood, meat other than skeletal muscle or bones; casings, gelatine and collagen, tallow, hooves and horns; and milk and milk products subjected to pasteurization.

The import bans were contained in Memorandum Order (MO) Nos. 43 and 44 signed on August 1, 2025.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the measure is a precautionary step to safeguard the country’s livestock industry from LSD, a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects cattle and water buffalo.

LSD causes fever and distinctive skin nodules in infected animals. It is typically spread by blood-feeding insects such as flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. While rarely fatal, the disease can cause substantially reduced milk production, weight loss, and trade disruptions.

In Italy, the outbreak was reported on July 18 in Orani, Nuoro, Sardegna and confirmed by the National Reference Centre for Exotic Animal Diseases.

France reported a similar outbreak in Chambéry on June 23, which was verified by the French veterinary office.

The DA said the temporary ban is in line with international animal health standards set by the World Organization for Animal Health and is supported by existing Philippine regulations.

The import restriction will remain in effect until further notice, pending developments in containment and eradication efforts in the affected countries.

READ: PH lifts ban on domestic, wild bird products from Australia

You May Also Like
SCTEX toll fees to increase from Sept 9

SCTEX toll fees to increase from Sept 9

The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) toll fees will increase from September 9 This,…

First half 2025 international air cargo, mail up 7.2% in PH

International air cargo and mail handled by 40 passenger and cargo airlines…
US scraps almost century-old tariff exemption for low value imports

US scraps almost century-old tariff exemption for low value imports

 The US this week scrapped its nearly century-old tariff exemption for low-value…
BOC finds P605M worth of smuggled cigarettes in Bulacan warehouse

BOC finds P605M worth of smuggled cigarettes in Bulacan warehouse

The Bureau of Customs has uncovered approximately P605.29 million worth of imported…