THE Department of Lands and Natural Resources says the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among the livestock in South Korea is not likely to affect the CNMI.
Marianne C. Teregeyo, DLNR spokeswoman, yesterday said the CNMI government does not allow the entry into the CNMI of fresh meat products from South Korea and other countries.
“We’re not affected because ever since, we don’t allow importation of any meat products from Korea,” Teregeyo told Variety.
Teregeyo said the CNMI only imports fresh meat products from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Denmark.
Other food products like cup noodles that contain beef are allowed to enter the CNMI if they have the necessary sanitary certificates, or certifications from the country of origin that the products are safe, Teregeyo said.
South Korea said on Sunday that it would slaughter 40,000 pigs after 20 pigs tested positive in initial checks for the deadly foot-and-mouth livestock disease.
This is in addition to the 35,000 livestock, mostly pigs, so far killed under the South Korean government’s policy of killing all livestock in farms within 500 meters from where the disease was found.
