Following confirmation from Indiana regarding outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza strain in several poultry farms, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has ordered a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds—and their products—to stem the possible entry of the disease in the Philippines.Â
According to agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., he has signed the import restriction to direct an immediate stoppage to shipments of poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen originating from the Midwestern state of the United States.
Laurel explained that the decision for the ban was decided after the February 23 report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) which confirmed multiple outbreaks of H5N1 in Indiana by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
The DA disclosed that the rapid spread of the virus across the US necessitated wider trade restrictions to shield the country’s multibillion-peso poultry industry from possible exposure. Under a 2016 bilateral animal health arrangement between Manila and Washington, a state-wide ban may be imposed if three or more counties in a US state are affected by bird flu.
“The import ban immediately suspends the processing and issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances (SPSICs) for the covered commodities. Previously approved SPS clearances for live birds are automatically revoked. However, shipments already in transit, loaded, or accepted at port before the circular’s effectivity may still enter the Philippines—provided the products were slaughtered or produced on or before January P306,” the agri chief clarified.
“All non-compliant shipments will be confiscated or dealt with under existing quarantine regulations. Veterinary quarantine officers across major ports have been instructed to enforce strict inspection and stoppage protocols,” he cited to add.