DA bans poultry from Belgium
Despite no active bird flu cases in the Philippines since early January, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has decided to suspend the importation of poultry from Belgium.
“There is a need to prevent the entry of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) virus to protect the health of the local poultry population,” the DA said in Memorandum Order No. 20.
The import restriction dated April 3 covers domestic and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen. It excludes heat-treated products.
Following the temporary ban, the agency has suspended the processing, evaluation and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIS) for these commodities.
All poultry shipments in transit, loaded, or accepted into port before the Philippine government sent a copy of this order to Belgian authorities will be allowed if they were slaughtered or produced on or before Feb. 3.
Veterinary quarantine officers and inspectors have been instructed to stop and seize all poultry imports from Belgium at all major ports of entry.
The DA imposed the import ban after Belgian authorities informed the World Organisation for Animal Health of an avian influenza outbreak on Feb. 20 affecting domestic birds in Sint-Niklaas, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaanderen.
Belgium is one of the country’s meat suppliers, accounting for more than 2 percent of the 137.999 million kilograms of imported meat that entered in January, data from the BAI showed.
In 2024, Belgium’s meat exports to the Philippines increased by 36.4 percent to 28.37 million kg, primarily pork and chicken.
