San Juan. After receiving alerts from the federal government about the possible presence of avian influenza in livestock health in Texas and Kansas, Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Ramón González Beiró established a 2024- Executive Order 27 serves as a precautionary measure and imposes additional requirements for the issuance of cattle import licenses. In turn, it halted imports until the situation stabilized.
“Currently, our staff has inspected cattle we previously received from Texas and the United States, and so far there have been no signs of contagion. Of course, we are communicating with federal agencies and evaluating the livestock to determine ensuring the quality of animals reaching our population,” the minister said.
González Beiró explained that the District Attorney had received Texas Animal Health Commission, to warn of conditions affecting livestock health. Some of the symptoms they exhibit as a result of the disease include reduced milk production, affected milk quality, reduced food intake, diarrhea and fever. However, the risk to the population is low.
“By continuing to receive animals from the United States, we must take precautions to prevent the introduction of diseases into Puerto Rico. In view of this situation, in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 69 of June 18, 1957 and the import requirements established by the Department’s Agricultural Laboratory, In addition to halting imports over the next few days until the situation improves, applicants will also need to “applications for import licenses meet all requirements established to date, in addition to notifying or proving the farm of origin of the livestock.” All applications will receive a consent notice before being approved,” González Beiró added.
Notably, testing on livestock found no changes in the virus that would make it more likely to spread among humans, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Editorial West Island
Hyperlocal news from western Puerto Rico.