June 2, 2010

 

 

The Philippines last week gained certification from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that parts of Luzon are free from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) without vaccination.

 

While the development was hailed as an achievement, the leader of a national group of pork producers said it would take such certification for the entire island of Luzon - thus completing the country's certification - to enable the country to revive plans to export pork and pork products.

 

However, the application for such status for central Luzon remains pending with the OIE, the statement read.

 

The area designated as "zone 1," or North Luzon, covers the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley region, as well as the provinces of Aurora, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union.

 

The area designated as "zone 3," or South Luzon, covers the Mimaropa region and the Bicol region.

 

"Zone 2," or Central Luzon -- covering the National Capital Region or Metro Manila, Calabarzon, as well as the provinces of Pangasinan, Tarlac, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan and Zambales -- is the area that awaits such certification.

 

The OIE certified Mindanao as FMD-free without vaccination in May 2001, while the entire Visayas, Palawan and Masbate followed in May 2002.

 

In an OIE assessment in April last year, the country failed to achieve such status for Luzon because of continued use of FMD vaccines in some areas, even if there were no cases of FMD recorded since December 2005.

 

Reildrin G. Morales, national coordinator of the BAI National FMD Task Force, said that the Philippines can apply as early as August for the accreditation of zone 2 in Luzon.

 

Morales added that the recognition of FMD-free areas or countries is done only during OIE general assemblies every May.

 

Meanwhile, Albert Lim, president of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, Inc., said the country will still have to wait for the whole of Luzon to be declared FMD-free to be able to export; noting that only Mindanao has the accreditation from Singapore to export pork.

 

Local livestock losses to the disease totalled PHP2.3 billion in 1995-2005, Agriculture department data show. The last FMD case on record was reported in December 2005.