Govt 'sure' PHL to get zero-FMD certificate

An Agriculture official on Thursday relayed the government is "99.99-percent" confident that the World Organization for Animal Health will declare the Philippines entirely free of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) when the assembly convenes in May. The 87-year-old international organization – which keeps its initial and historical name Office International des Epizooties (OIE) – issues FMD-free certifications to member-countries and zones. A highly contagious viral disease, FMD infects cloven-hoofed animals like pigs, cows, goats and sheeps. It does not affect humans. Speaking to GMA News Online, Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Davinio Catbagan said the country expects the 100-percent FMD-free certification after the OIE earlier declared parts of the Philippines free of FMD. The DA also said the OIE certification would give the Philippines the chance to gain a foothold into the global meat market. On its website, the OIE certifies that most parts of the country – including the islands of Mindanao, Visayas, Palawan, and Masbate, and two zones located on the island of Luzon – are FMD-free zones that do not practice vaccination. For the certification to cover the entire country, Catbagan said the Philippines is batting for an FMD-free certification for the rest of Luzon. In 2008, the government also said it is "confident" the OIE will declare the entire Luzon as FMD-free. 'Good news' Dr. Jun Romo, country manager of the global animal health company Merial, confirmed that the Philippines is on its way to being certified as 100-percent FMD-free. In another interview with GMA News Online, Romo explained that his company – one of the major suppliers of FMD vaccines in the Philippines – has not administered FMD vaccines in the country for around two years. He said the OIE takes note of the absence of the need to administer FMD vaccines before it certifies a country as FMD-free. “That’s good news," Romo said. In a statement, the DA said the Philippines could now capture a segment of the pork market in South Korea, now plagued by an FMD outbreak. Reuters reported in February that South Korea “plans to expand tariff-free pork imports to ease a supply shortage due to outbreaks and foot-and-mouth disease and to ease inflation." — VS, GMA News