The ban imposed on the importation of live cattle and meat products from the United Kingdom (UK) was lifted, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

On Oct. 11, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed Memorandum Order (MO) 45 lifting the import ban after official reports of the UK to the World Organization for Animal Health showed that the mad cow case “has ended with resolved status and no additional outbreaks after 07 August 2024.”

In a statement, Laurel noted that UK authorities also “provided evidence to show that food safety measures are in place and are equivalent to guidelines in the Philippines.”

As a country recognized by the WOAH with “negligible” risk of the mad cow disease, he said “the acceptance of all in-transit and incoming shipments from the United Kingdom may commence provided with verified equivalence from the United Kingdom Veterinary Authority.”

It can be recalled that agriculture department ordered on May 30 a ban on importation of live cattle, meat and meat products, bovine processed animal protiens and semen derived from cattle originating from the UK in response to reported cases of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

The import ban sought to mitigate potential health risks to consumers and protect the local livestock industry.

Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a neurodegenerative disease that affects cattle.

The disease leads to severe neurological symptoms in affected cows, including changes in behavior, lack of coordination, and eventually death.

Reports said mad  cow disease can be transmitted to humans through the consumption of contaminated beef, leading to a similar fatal condition called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).