Philippines bans bird, poultry imports from 3 US states over bird flu outbreak

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will not be importing poultry products from Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania anytime soon as bird flu spreads in the United States.

In a statement on Friday, March 7, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has temporarily banned imports of domestic and wild birds, along with their products, from the three US states.

Included in the ban are day-old chicks, eggs and semen. To facilitate the ban, the DA ordered to suspend the processing and evaluation of sanitary import clearances for these products from the three states. 

“However, shipments already in transit, loaded, or accepted before the official communication of the ban may be allowed, provided that the products were slaughtered or produced at least 14 days prior to the first outbreak in each state,” the DA said. 

The ban, issued under Memorandum Order 14, follows a report from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirming the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in domestic birds in Indiana, New York, and Pennsylvania. 

The findings were verified by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. The memorandum also noted that the avian flu outbreak was first reported on January 3 in Indiana, January 17 in New York, and February 4 in Pennsylvania.

The DA said the rapid spread of bird flu in the US “necessitates a wider coverage of trade restriction” to keep the virus out and protect the local poultry industry.