THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it imposed a temporary ban on importing live animals and animal products from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, and Palestine after outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in those countries. In a department circular, the DA instructed veterinary quarantine officers and inspectors to stop and confiscate shipments of prohibited animal commodities arriving at all major ports of entry. Among the prohibited animal commodities include live swine, cattle, water buffalo, and other FMD-susceptible animals, as well as fresh skeletal muscle meat, casings, tallow, hooves, horns, and animal semen. The department clarified that products classified by WOAH as “safe commodities” will still be allowed entry to the country, subject to strict import requirements. FMD is an infectious viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, and buffaloes.