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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has temporarily banned the entry of imported beef from Spain following the outbreak of mad cow disease in the European country.
In a memorandum order, the DA said the ban covers the importation of live animals, meat, and meat byproducts derived from cattle from Spain.
The DA also immediately suspended the processing, evaluation of the application, and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance for beef imports.
However, it will allow all shipments from Spain that are in transit/loaded/accepted unto port prior to the official communication of this order to Spanish authorities, provided the products were slaughtered or produced on or before Dec. 21, 2022.
Spain only accounted for 0.54 percent of the country’s beef imports from 2018 to 2022. Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry showed the country procured 3.5 million kilograms of beef from Spain in 2022, mostly beef cuts and fats.