After over four months, the Department of Agriculture (DA) lifted the temporary ban on importing live cattle and its meat products from the United Kingdom.

The DA confirmed on Wednesday the issuance of Memorandum Order 45 lifting the import ban after official reports of the UK to the World Organization for Animal Health showed that the mad cow case “has ended with resolved status and no additional outbreaks after August 7.

It noted that the memorandum order was signed by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on October 11, as the "UK authorities also provided evidence to show that food safety measures are in place and are equivalent to guidelines in the Philippines."

Laurel said that as a country recognized by the WOAH with “negligible” risk of the mad cow disease, “the acceptance of all in-transit and incoming shipments from the United Kingdom may commence provided with verified equivalence from the United Kingdom Veterinary Authority.”

It can be recalled that the temporary ban for the importation of "live cattle, meat and meat products, bovine processed animal proteins and semen derived from cattle originating from the UK" was ordered last May 30 "to mitigate potential health risks to consumers and protect the local livestock industry" following the reported cases of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease in the area. Robina Asido/DMS