BACOLOD CITY - The provincial government of Negros Occidental has banned the entry of poultry products as well as all live domestic and wild birds from all regions in the country amid the bird flu threat.

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, in an Executive Order (EO) issued on Feb. 27, said the measure is aimed at protecting the general public from the ill effects of the disease.

The temporary total ban, effective from Feb. 28 to March 15, also covers poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, semen, and manure.

Lacson stated in the EO that on Feb. 22, the Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), conducted a test among affected birds in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga using real time - polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR).

Laboratory test results showed that the samples were positive of the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 strain commonly known as bird flu.

“Following the reported incidents of confirmed cases of bird flu, there’s an urgent need to prohibit the entry of all domestic and wild birds as well as their products,” the governor said.

The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) was ordered to install quarantine checkpoints in all possible entry points for all domestic and wild birds and other poultry products and by-products.

Aside from that, all local chief executives were also directed to strengthen bio-safety, hygiene and sanitation standards in slaughterhouses, abattoirs, public markets and poultry farms in their respective areas of jurisdiction to ensure the safety of the public, Lacson said.

This measure was also imposed to ensure the safety of the P8-billion poultry industry in the province.