FMD eradication: Cornerstone of government policy

摘要

Thank you for inviting the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture to participate in this policy discussion. I am happy to provide technical guidance on your deliberation regarding this proposed bill. Let me start by saying, Foot and Mouth Disease or popularly known as FMD is a highly contagious viral disease affecting animals. It has been proven to cause major production losses in pigs and ruminants. If you will recall, at the height of the FMD epidemic in Luzon in 1995, commercial pig industry lostabout P2billion. About 1,5.53 outbreaks were recorded and 98,604 clinical cases were reported. This episode forced former President Fidel V. Ramos to declare Luzon as a calamity area, under EO251. In addition, former Secretary Roberto Sebastian, under AO7 Series of 1995, imposed stricter quarantine rules to control the spread of FMD. As result, a significant decline in the number of reported cases were recorded.