October 1, 2024

 

Philippines temporarily bans poultry imports from France amid bird flu case

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued a temporary ban on the importation of poultry and related products from France following the confirmation of a bird flu case, The Philippine Star reported.

 

The measure aims to protect the domestic poultry population from the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus, as outlined in Memorandum Order (MO) 40, issued by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel.

 

According to the order, the importation of domestic and wild birds, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen from France, has been immediately suspended.

 

Additionally, the country's Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has halted the processing, evaluation, and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for the importation of these products.

 

Poultry shipments from France that were already in transit to the Philippines before the official communication of the ban to French authorities will be allowed to enter, provided that the products were slaughtered or produced on or before July 25, 2024.

 

Any shipments from France that were slaughtered or produced after July 25 and arrive in the Philippines will be stopped and confiscated by government veterinary quarantine officers and inspectors.

 

The DA noted that French authorities had reported the outbreak of H5 HPAI in Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, to the World Organisation for Animal Health on August 7. The bird flu case affected domestic poultry, with confirmation provided by a national laboratory in France, according to MO 40.

 

According to BAI data, the Philippines imported approximately 19,252 kg of chicken meat products from France in the first half of the year. Additionally, about 3,900 kg of duck offal were exported from France to the Philippines during the same period.

 

-      The Philippine Star