Poultry imports from France banned after bird flu outbreak
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it banned imports of poultry and wild birds from France after an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or bird flu.
In Memorandum Order no. 40, the DA said shipments of domestic and wild birds, poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen from France were suspended.
“There is a need to prevent the entry of the HPAI virus to protect the health of Philippine poultry,” it added.
According to the Bureau of Animal Industry, avian flu cases in the Philippines have been detected in 53 municipalities across nine provinces as of Sept. 20.
The French authorities had submitted a report to the World Organization for Animal Health regarding an outbreak of H5 (N untyped) HPAI cases there.
A case was reported in Saint-Malo in Brittany on Aug. 7, according to an official report submitted by the French authorities on Aug. 12.
It added that all shipments coming from France that are already in transit, loaded, or accepted into port would be allowed provided that the products were slaughtered or produced before July 25.
In April, the DA had lifted the import ban of domestic and wild birds from France after cases of HPAI were resolved. — Adrian H. Halili
