Philippines Tightens Grip on US Poultry Imports Amid Bird Flu Outbreak

In a decisive move to curb the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Manila has expanded its temporary import ban to include poultry products from four additional US states. The decision, announced on Thursday, targets Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, following confirmed H5N1 bird flu outbreaks reported by the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on February 3. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued Memorandum Order 11, which halts the processing and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for poultry products from these states. The ban encompasses a wide range of products, including domestic and wild birds, poultry meat, eggs, day-old chicks, and semen. However, shipments already in transit or those that arrived at Philippine ports before the outbreak, specifically those slaughtered or produced 14 days prior, are exempt from the ban. The outbreaks in the affected states were reported between November 14 and December 13 last year. This latest action follows a similar ban imposed on poultry imports from Maryland, Missouri, South Dakota in the US, and regions in New Zealand, reflecting the DA’s ongoing efforts to safeguard the nation’s poultry industry from the threat of bird flu.