THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has lifted a ban on imports of poultry products from Lethebridge in the Australian state of Victoria.
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar signed Memorandum Order No. 40 on July 2 which permitted the entry of such imports after a DA analysis indicated a negligible risk of contamination.
“(I) hereby lift the temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products including poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs, and semen originating from Lethebridge, Victoria, Australia,” Mr. Dar said in the memorandum order.
Mr. Dar said the ban was lifted after the World Organisation for Animal Health declared that Lethebridge was free from highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu.
The DA issued Memorandum Order No. 59 on Nov. 6 which allowed imports of poultry products from the rest of Australia.
However, Lethebridge products remained banned because of reports that H7N7 bird flu was still present in the area.
Asked to comment, Meat Importers and Traders Association President Jesus C. Cham said in a phone message that the memorandum order will have a “very small” effect on the overall supply situation, particularly in the mechanically deboned meat (MDM) segment.
MDM is used by processors in low-priced canned goods and other products such as hotdogs and chicken nuggets.
“The effect is very small. The country, particularly the DA, needs to institute zonal bans instead and also accredit new sources. Examples of those new sources include Poland, Hungary, and Turkey,” Mr. Cham said.
In 2020, the Bureau of Animal Industry estimated that chicken imports from Australia amounted to 1,174.55 metric tons (MT), accounting for 0.3% of the country’s chicken imports. Some 83.7% of the Australian imports were in the form of MDM.
The Philippines also sourced 16.41 MT of duck imports from Australia in 2020, or about 16.8% of all duck imports. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
