The Philippine government Wednesday imposed a temporary ban against the importation of live swine and cattle among other ruminants from Lebanon and China's Taiwan after the outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in these two places.

In a directive issued Wednesday, Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap said the ban was imposed to protect the local livestock industry. The Philippine hog and cattle industry is one of the country's fast-growing farm sectors.

The ban was issued shortly after the World Animal Health Organization had validated the disease outbreaks in the swine farms in Taiwan and dairy cattle farms in Lebanon.

Yap said that he has directed officers and inspectors to suspend the processing of all quarantine certificates of live animals to be imported from Taiwan and Lebanon. He also ordered to confiscate all such commodities and by-products originating from these two places.

Source: Xinhua