Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr., said Thursday that the delayed release of gamefowl imported from the United States was the Bureau of Animal Industry’s precautionary step in protecting the Philippine poultry industry from the potential spread of avian influenza, or bird flu.

“The BAI acted on information received regarding imported breeding stocks from California, one of two states in the US; the other is Ohio, where we had banned the importation of birds, including poultry products, due to recent outbreaks of H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian influenza strain,” said Laurel, noting the government is just being ‘extra careful and vigilant,’, especially with the flourishing of the local gamefowl breeding sector.

“The spread of avian influenza from imported birds could immensely damage our poultry sector and could wipe out billions of pesos in investments, endanger thousands of jobs, and potentially undermine our food security,” he added.

According to DA, the release of some 400 gamefowls shipped from Atlanta, Georgia, was halted this week, with the courier claiming to have secured all necessary permits for the shipment, including BAI documentation and US certification that proves that the birds have tested negative for avian influenza.

A random sampling of 30 heads was conducted as a further biosecurity measure.

The DA said that the gamefowls can be discharged once test results are negative.

Poultry imports, including domesticated and wild birds, from California and Ohio were put on an indefinite ban in January due to recorded cases of the bird flu.

The initial cases of H5N1 in the two states were reported by the US Veterinary Services to the World Organisation for Animal Health in November 2023.

Poultry imports from Belgium, France, and Japan are also temporarily barred.