THE Department of Agriculture has banned the import of live cattle and cattle by-products from the United Kingdom in response to recent cases of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease.

To mitigate potential consumer risks and protect the local livestock industry, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued Memorandum Order 20 on May 30, imposing a temporary ban on the importation of live cattle, meat, meat products, bovine processed animal proteins and cattle semen originating from the UK following a recent case of the said animal disease.