PH reimposes import ban on dutch poultry

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has temporarily banned the entry of poultry imports from the Netherlands to safeguard the farm sector against bird flu.

“There is a need to prevent the entry of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) to protect the health of the local poultry population,” the DA said in Memorandum Order No. 68.

The directive dated Oct. 29 said the import restriction applies to domestic and wild birds, as well as their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen.

The DA immediately suspended the processing, evaluation and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance for these commodities.

All veterinary quarantine officers or inspectors were directed to confiscate all shipments at all major ports of entry.

The order excludes poultry shipments that had already been in transit and loaded or accepted unto port before the order took effect. This is as long as the products were slaughtered or produced on or before Sept. 22.

The agency reimposed the ban after Dutch officials had notified the World Organization for Animal Health about an avian influenza outbreak.

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The DA reimposed the moratorium after lifting the import ban on poultry from the Netherlands in June.

The Netherlands is one of the country’s accredited suppliers of beef, chicken and pork. It exported 48.11 million kilograms of meat from January to August, equivalent to 4.6 percent of meat shipments.

The Philippines has yet to fully recover from HPAI, a highly contagious viral disease affecting both domestic and wild birds.