Bird Flu outbreak triggers Phl import ban

The Philippine government has suspended poultry imports from the US state of Indiana after authorities confirmed outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, a move aimed at protecting the country’s multibillion-peso poultry sector from possible infection.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) issued the restriction after a report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed multiple cases of the virus in the Midwestern state. Laboratory confirmation was conducted by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. ordered the immediate suspension of shipments involving domestic and wild birds and related products from Indiana.

The directive covers poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and poultry semen. The order also stops the processing and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for these commodities.

Authorities said the measure was necessary as the virus continues to spread across parts of the United States, raising the risk of exposure for importing countries.

Under a 2016 animal health agreement between the Philippines and the United States, a statewide import restriction can be imposed if at least three counties in a state are affected by bird flu. Indiana has exceeded that threshold based on official reports submitted to the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Previously issued sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for live birds are automatically revoked under the new order.

Shipments that were already in transit, loaded, or accepted at port before the directive took effect may still enter the country if the poultry products were slaughtered or produced on or before 30 January.

The Department of Agriculture said veterinary quarantine officers at major ports have been instructed to conduct strict inspections and block non-compliant shipments, which will be confiscated or handled under existing quarantine regulations.