THE Department of Agriculture (DA) ordered a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds, including game fowl, from California due to a reported outbreak of virulent Newcastle Disease.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed cases of the disease in Southern California affecting backyard exhibition chickens.
Along with the ban, the DA ordered the immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) import clearances for California birds, which are subject to confiscation if found.
According to APHIS, virulent Newcastle Disease is contagious and fatal, affecting birds’ respiratory, nervous and digestive systems.
APHIS said vND is not a food safety concern and people working directly with sick birds can become infected with mild symptoms only very rarely. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio
