Gov’t lifts ban on Japan meat imports
The government has lifted the temporary ban on poultry products from Japan, one of the country’s major meat suppliers, after it was declared bird flu-free.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) issued Memorandum Order No. 36 removing the import restriction on poultry originating from Japan, effective immediately.
According to the DA’s issuance dated July 7, Japan is now free from highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The DA imposed the import restriction in November to prevent the entry of avian influenza. However, Japan said in a report that all reported cases of avian influenza have ended, and no additional outbreaks were recorded after June 13.
Japan exported 52,704 kilograms of meat products to the Philippines as of April, all of which are beef, according to data from the Bureau of Animal Industry.
The Philippines imported 473.46 million kg of meat in the January to April period, up by 19.4 percent from a year ago.
