THE Department of Agriculture (DA) announced a temporary ban on importing poultry meat and wild birds from France following cases of avian influenza or bird flu in that country.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. halted the importation of domestic and wild birds, including their byproducts, due to an outbreak of the high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 subtype or bird flu.
“There is a need to prevent the entry of HPAI virus to protect the health of the local poultry population,” Tiu Laurel said in a memorandum order dated September 27.
The ban will cover domestic and wild birds and byproducts like poultry meat, eggs, day-old chicks and semen.
The ban was based on the official report from the Chief Veterinary Services of France to the World Organization for Animal Health on August 12 of an avian influenza outbreak in Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Bretagne France last August 7.
HPAI could be passed on to humans.
Tiu Laurel said shipments that have not complied with the conditions should be dealt with accordingly, and their importer could face penalties.
Veterinary quarantine officers and inspectors are authorized to confiscate all shipments of poultry products except those that have been heat-treated.
The processing, evaluation of applications, and issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary import Clearances for those agricultural products have also been suspended.
Shipments from France that are already in transit or accepted into port before the imposition of the ban will be allowed to enter as long as the products were slaughtered or produced on or before July 25.
Data from DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry showed that around 23,165 metric tons of poultry meat were shipped from France to the Philippines from January to June.
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