The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday lifted the suspension of the importation of domesticated and wild birds from Japan due to reported cases of bird flu.

This after the official self-declaration report of Dr. Okita Masatsugu, director of the Animal Health Division and delegate of Japan to the World Organization Animal Health, showed that all reported highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases had ended with resolved status.

Likewise, no additional outbreaks were recorded after 2 June.

“Based on the evaluation of the Department of Agriculture, the risk of contamination from importing live poultry, poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen is negligible,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.

Thus, poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen from Japan are now permitted to enter the Philippine market, as cited in the issued Memorandum Order 31.

Japan first reported H5NI HPAI cases on 8 November 2023.

H5N1, a subtype of the bird flu virus, can spread rapidly among the bird population, including poultry, which is a multibillion-peso industry in the country, according to the DA.