Manila – The Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Philippines has implemented a ban on the importation of live birds, poultry meat, eggs, and related products from the U.S. states of California and Ohio due to outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
According to Philippines News Agency, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. announced in a news release on Wednesday that this precautionary measure was taken following reports of HPAI outbreaks in these regions. "The rapid spread of the HPAI H5N1 strain in the United States since the first laboratory detection necessitates a wider coverage of the trade restriction to prevent the entry of the HPAI virus and protect the health of the local population," he stated. The U.S. Veterinary Services reported the H5N1 cases to the World Organization for Animal Health in November for both California and Ohio.
The Philippines had agreed to impose a state-wide ban only if three or more counties in a U.S. state report an HPAI outbreak. The ban extends to day-old chicks and semen. Tiu-Laurel also directed the immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of applications, and issuance of Sanitary Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC) for these commodities.
Shipments from California and Ohio that were already in transit, loaded, or accepted at Philippine ports before January 15, 2024, will be allowed entry. However, it must be verified that these products were produced or the birds slaughtered 14 days prior to the first outbreak. The DA will seize and destroy or return to the states of origin any poultry and poultry products imported to the Philippines from California and Ohio after November 14, 2023, and November 21, 2023, respectively.
In 2023, the Philippines imported 166,356 metric tons of poultry meat from the U.S., making it the second-largest supplier of poultry meat to the country, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the total poultry meat arrivals (426,620 metric tons). Other U.S. states are exempt from this temporary restriction and can continue to export poultry and poultry products to the Philippines.