The Department of Agriculture (DA) ordered a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds from the state of Michigan, United States of America after the latter’s notification to the World Organization for Animal Health of local outbreaks of H5N1 subtype of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus.
DA said the outbreaks were recorded on March 29 with the infection also confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Iowa.
DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued memorandum order No. 24 that also suspended the issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances by the Bureau of Animal Industry for poultry products from Michigan including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen.
The order signed last Friday, added that all shipments coming from Michigan that are in transit/load/accepted unto port before the official communication of this order to the American authorities shall be allowed provided that the products were slaughtered/produced 14 days before the first recorded outbreak.
Prior to this issuance, the DA lifted the ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products including poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs and semen originating from the state of Ohio in the US.
Tiu Laurel’s decision to lift the ban was based on the official report submitted by the US Department of Agriculture — Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that all counties in Ohio have successfully resolved avian flu cases and no additional outbreaks have been reported after April 2.
Based on data from the Bureau of Animal Industry, total chicken imports from the US that entered the country from January to April reached 46,636,118 kg equivalent to 34.7 percent of the entire 134,465,086 kg. of chicken that entered the Philippines for the period.
Earlier, DA said it was banning the imports of birds and poultry products from Australia because of a bird flu outbreak in Australian states.
Imports from Australia of wild and domestic birds, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen will be immediately stopped, DA said on Saturday.
As of April, Australia ranked as the Philippines' fourth-largest source of imported chicken meat, accounting for 4 percent of its total volume of chicken imports.
