January 12, 2015

Eastern China pigs hit by FMD; Manila bans Chinese, Korean and Namibian animals  

More than 300 pigs were reported to have died in Anhui province in eastern China due to foot and mouth disease.

The FMD outbreak occurred in several farms in Maanshan city in Anhui and was announced by the Ministry of Agriculture last week.

The Office of International des Epizooties (OIE), or World Organisation for Animal Health, reported that 926 pigs were culled after 314 pigs were found dead on January 2 in different Maanshan farms.

The agriculture ministry said the infected pigs, based on tests done by the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, carried the A-type virus.

Philippine ban

The Philippines, meanwhile, issued an order Friday, January 9, temporarily banning animals from Korea, China and Namibia that are susceptible to FMD.

Its agriculture department said the temporary ban also covered animal products and by-products coming from Chungcheongbuk-Do, Korea; Jiangsu, China; and Caprivi, Namibia, in order to protect "the health of the local livestock population and, consequently, food safety in the country".

The department said it had monitored reports from the OIE of outbreak of FMD virus of serotype O affecting backyard piggery farms in China and Korea, and FMD virus serotype SAT2 affecting cattle kraals in Caprivi, Namibia.

"We cannot afford to take chances. We are maintaining our reputation of being an FMD-free country so we are very vigilant of every possible entry of FMD-infected animals or animal products in the Philippines," Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said.