The Department of Agriculture (DA) 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 embryos and semen. 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 Orders 43 and 44 signed on August 1, 2025. Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. 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 substantially reduce 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 Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) 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.
