The Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted the ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds, including poultry products, from California and South Dakota.
In a statement released on Saturday, Aug. 31, the agency said the two US states have not reported any new avian influenza outbreaks since early June.
The ban was initially enforced in response to confirmed cases of the H5N1 subtype of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in California and South Dakota, with the latter facing restrictions since November last year. This virus has caused the deaths of millions of birds and presents a potential health risk to mammals, including humans.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed Memorandum Order No. 37 earlier this week, effectively lifting the import restrictions.
According to DA, the order allows the importation of various poultry products, including meat, hatching eggs, day-old chicks, and semen for artificial insemination, from the two states, which have been free of new outbreaks since May and June.
The agriculture department said the poultry sector, which makes up approximately 18 percent of the Philippines’ agricultural output, is vital to the nation’s food security.
The industry experienced a 2.0 percent growth in the first half of this year, with chicken production as the primary driver, the agency added.
Per DA’s data, Central Luzon holds the largest poultry inventory at 33.68 million birds, followed by Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) with 27.32 million, and Northern Mindanao with 25.87 million.