Monitoring vs avian flu intensified
The Bureau of Customs remains vigilant in monitoring all agricultural products, particularly fresh or frozen meat, brought in by arriving passengers
The Bureau of Customs remains vigilant in monitoring all agricultural products, particularly fresh or frozen meat, brought in by arriving passengers
The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and the Bureau of Customs (BoC) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have intensified monitoring of all types of birds arriving from Australia due to concerns over the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus.
This comes in response to recent reports from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) detailing the presence of HPAI virus subtypes H7N3 and H7N9 in Australia.
The Department of Agriculture has issued a restriction on domestic and wild birds traveling from Australia in light of these developments. This restriction applies to birds, poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen.
“The BoC and BAI are working closely together to strictly monitor and confiscate all kinds of meat coming from Australia,” said Mark Almase, assistant deputy collector for Passenger Services at BoC-NAIA. “This is a crucial step to prevent the entry of the HPAI virus and safeguard the health of our local poultry industry.”
Almase explained that the BAI, following Memorandum Order 21 issued by Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., has ceased issuing sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for the importation of birds and related products from Australia.
The directive stressed the importance of complete cooperation between the BAI and BoC in enforcing these restrictions.
Meantime, Almase highlighted ongoing concerns regarding swine flu in China and while not explicitly mentioned by the OIE as a pandemic threat, the increased contagiousness of the virus necessitates ongoing vigilance.
“The Bureau of Customs remains vigilant in monitoring all agricultural products, particularly fresh or frozen meat, brought in by arriving passengers,” Almase said.
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