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WHEREAS, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a trans-boundary animal disease that hampers trade of susceptible animals and their products and by-products, causing an estimated 2 billion pesos in direct losses in the peak of its outbreak in 1995;

WHEREAS, the Philippines program to control and eradicate FMD spanning for more almost 15 years has resulted to the OIE recognition of Mindano, Visayas, Palawan and Masbate as FMD Free Zones where vaccination is not practiced in 2001 and 200 respectively;

WHEREAS, the effort to control and eradicate FMD in Luzon where the disease is considered to be endemic has resulted to total control and eventual eradication with the last recorded outbreak in December 2005;

WHEREAS , attempts have been made to apply for international recognition of Luzon as an FMD free area where Zone 1 comprising of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Region II, with the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union in Region I and Aurora in Region III, and Zone 3 comprising of Region IVB (except Palawan) and Region V is being applied as zones where vaccination is not practiced and Zone 2 comprising Regions III (except Aurora), National Capital Region (NCR) and Region IV A as zone where vaccination is practiced, has not been granted by OIE in light of on-going trade between regions thereby allowing the possibility of mixing vaccinated and unvaccinated animals;

WHEREAS, the particular zone being applied as free with vaccination has been noted by the OIE to have insufficient vaccination coverage in relation to recommended vaccination coverage in the OIE Code where very few farmers in Zone 2 are now vaccinating for FMD and even the few vaccinating are not doing systematic mass vaccination of their animals;

WHEREAS, the above mentioned international recognition is vital to the livestock industry of the country if we are to survive markets globalization;

WHEREAS, a nationwide consultation with all concerned stake holders particularly farmers have culminated to a consensus to withdraw vaccination in Luzon to address the concern on zoning and insufficient vaccination coverage;

WHEREAS, the National FMD Task Force is conducting a routine and risk based surveillance system that compliments clinical monitoring and negative monitoring system to ensure that there is no circulation of FMD virus that may endanger the withdrawal procedure and that this has been fully explained to the stake holders in the conduct of consultations;

WHEREAS, the existing animal movement monitoring system will be retained in place to arrest any and all possible FMD re-incursions;

NOW, THEREFORE, above premises considered, I, ATTY. ARTHUR C. YAP, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, by the powers vested in me by the government hereby issue the following Order for immediate compliance and implementation of all concerned without prejudice to any existing laws of the land;

1. Cessation of FMD Vaccination in Luzon. All importations of FMD vaccines subsequent to this Order is hereby prohibited and importation will only be allowed through government intervention and only under the following circumstances;

a. Buffer stocks in case of emergency. This will be a government importation and will be under the government custody and monitoring to be used as a buffer stock in case of emergency and

b. To augment possible needs in case of emergency where supplies provided for the buffer stock will not be sufficient

2. Inventory of all currently available FMD vaccines in the country - All vaccines in the market/farms must be turned over to the government for safe keeping and documentation as a necessary exercise in line with the withdrawal procedure without prejudice to the manufacturer and distributors. That BAI, vaccine manufacturers and distributors should develop a scheme for the disposal of the remaining vaccines in the market, giving due consideration to possible rebates on taxes for the concerned products.

3. Movement management of FMD susceptible animals. - Movement of unvaccinated FMD susceptible animals going to the locally declared free zones without vaccination is only allowed for small and large ruminants and breeders pigs. Guidelines on movement of pigs for slaughter are still subject to the stringent movement measures previously imposed until such time that international recognition for the entire Luzon is secured as free without vaccination.

4. Institutionalization of a standard shipping protocol - This Order mandates the use of the existing shipping protocol system initiated through the FMD campaign and standardization of all related activities on animal movement control such, as issuances of veterinary health certificates, permit system for shipment of animals, animal products and by-products and farms inspection and accreditation system.

This Order shall take effect immediately and revokes all other Orders/guidelines inconsistent herewith.

Adopted: 30 June 2009

(SGD.) ATTY. ARTHUR C. YAP
Secretary