THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has reimposed a ban on the importation of wild birds, poultry and byproducts from the US state of Minnesota due to cases of avian influenza or bird flu.
In Memorandum Order 29 dated July 15, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service had confirmed cases of H5N1 infections in three Minnesota counties as of June 12.
“Based on a 2016 agreement between the Philippines and the US, a statewide ban may be imposed by the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture if there are at least three counties affected by HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza),” Tiu Laurel said.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. Photo from Department of Agriculture
The import ban covers domestic and wild birds and byproducts, including poultry meat, eggs, day-old chicks and semen.
Memorandum Order 69, issued in November last year, banned poultry imports from Minnesota and South Dakota due to cases of bird flu. The ban on Minnesota was lifted in March.
The DA said the USDA-APHIS had reported the bird flu cases to the World Organisation for Animal Health. HPAI is a disease with zoonotic potential, which means that it could be passed on to humans.
Processing, evaluation of applications, and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for agricultural products have been suspended.
However, shipments from Minnesota that are already in transit or accepted into ports before the imposition of the ban will be allowed entry if the products were slaughtered/produced 14 days before the first outbreak.
The United States was the second-largest supplier of Philippine poultry meat imports last year.
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