International organization certifies Phl as foot-and-mouth disease-free zone

Apart from the anticipated good news to be delivered by President Benigno S. Aquino III as he returns home today from a successful 2-day state visit to Brunei Darussalam, Malacanang bared that the country has been granted a certificate as foot and mouth disease (FMD)-free zone from an international organization responsible for improving animal health worldwide.

The recognition further boost the country’s livestock and meat production sector.

In a regular press briefing at the Palace Thursday,

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the World Organization for Animal Health also known as Office International des Epizooties (OIE) has approved the Philippines as a foot and mouth disease-free zone.

“The World Organization for Animal Health declared the Philippines as foot-and-mouth disease-free… we have a certificate,” Lacierda said.

The said certification from the OIE allows the local meat producers to export their products abroad.

Lacierda said that this would also be advantageous for the local hog raisers considering the interest raised by some foreign business groups in the industry.

“The immediate effect of this, it allows our country to export meat products abroad… if you remember when the President was in Thailand there was a particular group called the Charoen Pokthand or the CP group which mentioned that they were interested in investing here in the Philippines
because we are FMD-free,” Lacierda said.

“This will be a big advantage for us, for our hog raisers and our meat products will be recognized abroad as FMD-free,” he added.

The certification issued last May 26 was signed by the group’s president Carlos Correa Messuti and Director General Bernard Vallat.

Based in Paris, France, OIE is an inter-governmental organization created to fight animal diseases at a global level through an international Agreement signed on January 25th 1924.

In May 2003 the Office became the World Organisation for Animal Health but kept its historical acronym OIE.

It is recognized as a reference organization by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in 2011 had a total of 178 Member Countries and Territories. The OIE maintains permanent relations with 36 other international and regional organizations and has Regional and sub-regional Offices on every continent.

The OIE provides technical support to Member Countries requesting assistance with animal disease control and eradication operations, including diseases transmissible to humans. The OIE notably offers expertise to the poorest countries to help them control animal diseases that cause livestock losses, present a risk to public health and threaten
other Member Countries.

Since it was created, the OIE has played a key role in its capacity as the sole international reference organization for animal health, enjoying established international recognition and benefiting from direct collaboration with the Veterinary Services of all its Member Countries.