The Department of Agriculture (DA) has banned temporarily the importation of live cattle, buffaloes, and their products and by-products from Libya and three other countries. This is to prevent the spread of lumpy skin disease (LSD) among the country's local cattle population, the DA said. LSD is a viral infection that can be fatal for cattle, the agency said in a press release issued on Saturday. Laurel ordered the confiscation, seizure and disposal of live cattle and buffaloes as well as products and by-products coming from Libya, Russia, South Korea and Thailand of shipments that do not comply with the memorandum, the DA said. He also tasked the DA's Veterinary Quarantine Office to conduct more rigorous and tighter inspections of live cattle and buffaloes arriving in the country, as well as their products and by-products.
