DA lifts ban on poultry imports from New Zealand
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted the ban on importing poultry from New Zealand after the latter was declared bird flu-free.
The DA announced the resumption of poultry imports such as poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen from New Zealand via Memorandum Order No. 62.
It issued the memo after New Zealand was declared free from highly pathogenic avian influenza. It is a highly contagious viral disease affecting both domestic and wild birds.
According to the DA memo, its evaluation indicated that the risk of contamination from importing such commodities is “negligible.”
The Philippines imported 1.06 billion kilograms of meat in the January to August period. This meant an increase of 16.5 percent from last year, according to data from the Bureau of Animal Industry.
New Zealand exported 8.57 million kg of meat during the period, primarily beef, equivalent to a market share of less than one percent.
