Manila, Philippines—The Department of Agriculture (DA) has announced that there will be no ban on dairy products from the United States despite the recent outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) among dairy cattle. This decision follows assessments of the risks associated with the transmission of the virus through dairy processes.
According to Philippines News Agency, in an interview on Monday, the movement of the avian influenza virus from birds to cattle is currently not considered a significant risk. Palabrica emphasized that pasteurized milk from infected cattle does not pose a threat to human health. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supports this position, citing new studies showing that pasteurization effectively inactivates the virus in dairy products, including fluid milk, cottage cheese, and sour cream.
The USFDA's reassurance came after additional testing of 297 dairy samples in the market, which followed an initial study of 96 retail milk samples. Both studies confirmed the effectiveness of pasteurization in neutralizing HPAI.
Palabrica also noted that the scenario of AI infecting cattle is unlikely in the Philippines, citing the country's minimal exposure to migratory birds and AI-infected chickens that could affect local cattle, particularly given the absence of a large-scale dairy cattle industry.
Further, the DA committed to intensifying efforts to combat zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza, rabies, foot and mouth disease (FMD), and anthrax. This initiative is part of its new responsibilities under the Philippine Inter-Agency Committee on Zoonoses (PhilCZ), recently transferred from the Department of Health (DOH). Coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will also be enhanced under this committee. Despite the Philippines being FMD-free, the DA is proactively advancing efforts to secure or develop vaccines against this and other emerging diseases threatening the livestock sector.