No anthrax beef entered RP - DA

Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Q. Montemayor assured the public yesterday that no Australian beef, reportedly contaminated with the deadly virus anthrax has entered the country even as he ordered a stringent watch of forthcoming cattle imports from Australia.

Montemayor ordered the adoption of precautionary measures in view of the anthrax outbreak in Australian cattle. Anthrax is a contagious deadly animal disease and can kill a cattle in just 24 to 48 hours.

The DA chief added that he has already tasked the National Meat Inspection Commission (NMIC) headed by Executive Director Efren Nuestro to subject to laboratory tests all arrivals of Australian beef to ensure that the meat is free from anthrax contamination and safe for human consumption.

"We want to assure our countrymen that no anthrax-contaminated beef from Australia has entered the country. I also directed concerned authorities to subject to laboratory tests all Australian meat that are scheduled to arrive in the country," Montemayor said, as he clarified that those that are coming in are imported meats from Australia that were given import permits prior to the incident of the anthrax outbreak.

The DA chief said that for the meantime, he has already ordered a temporary ban in the importation of cattle from Australia as he directed Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Director Jose Molina to temporarily stop issuing veterinary quarantine clearance (VQC) certificates for beef imports coming from Australia, while awaiting formal notification from Australian veterinary authorities on the extent of the disease problem.

"The BAI will also require pre-shipment quarantine in Australia of live cattle exports to the Philippines for at least 20 days, the incubation period of anthrax. All cattle arrivals starting from November 2002 will be closely monitored for signs of the disease during their reglamentary 30 days quarantine period in the Philippines," he said.

Montemayor said that a DA technical team is now closely monitoring the anthrax outbreak in Victoria, Australia.