MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has ordered a temporary ban on the importation of live cattle and buffalo, as well as their products and by-products, from France and Italy after confirmed outbreaks of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).

The prohibition, issued through Memorandum Orders 43 and 44 signed on Aug. 1, 2025, also covers embryos and semen.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the measure is a precautionary step to protect the country’s livestock industry from LSD, a highly contagious viral disease affecting cattle and water buffalo. The illness causes fever and distinctive skin nodules, and is mainly spread by blood-feeding insects such as flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. While rarely fatal, it can significantly reduce milk production, cause weight loss, and disrupt trade.

Exempted from the ban are hides that have been salt-treated or subjected to ante- and post-mortem inspection; 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 that have undergone pasteurization.

The DA said the ban aligns with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards and existing Philippine regulations.

Italy’s 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 case in Chambéry on June 23, verified by its veterinary office.

The restriction will remain in effect until further notice, pending containment and eradication efforts in the affected countries.