Following an outbreak of avian influenza (AI) in France, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has implemented a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds, as well as poultry products, from the European country.
On Sept. 27, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued Memorandum Order 40, enforcing the ban, which includes live poultry, day-old chicks, poultry products, by-products, and semen.
The decision follows France's report to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) of a High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza outbreak in Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, on Aug. 7, 2024. Laboratory tests confirmed the bird flu virus, the DA said.
“We are imposing the ban as a preemptive measure to stop the entry of infected birds and their by-products into the country. This step will prevent the spread of the virus that could have a devastating impact on the local poultry industry,” Laurel said in a statement.
In line with the order, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has also suspended the issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances for all poultry shipments from France.
The DA noted that only birds slaughtered or products processed before July 25, 2024, will be allowed entry into the Philippines.
As such, the agency said veterinary quarantine offices have been directed to confiscate any shipments of wild and domestic birds, eggs, poultry products, and by-products unless they are heat-treated.
The ban will remain in effect until lifted by the DA, said Laurel.
From January to August 2024, the Philippines imported 150,752 kilograms of poultry products from France, data from DA showed.