The Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of animal commodities from Turkey, South Korea, and Hungary as the agency moves to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in the country’s poultry and livestock industry.
Under Memorandum Order (MO) No. 17, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel ordered a suspension on Turkey’s poultry imports, following a recent outbreak of bird flu among domestic birds.
The government of Turkey reported to the World Organization on Animal Health (WOAH) that an outbreak of H5N1 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza took place in Sarayduzu, Merkez, early this month.
In a statement, Laurel explained that the ban is a pre-emptive measure to safeguard the poultry industry.
This, he said, is rooted in the sector’s contributions for being a vital player in the economy through job generation and investments, as well as in the government’s push for food security.
Under MO 17, the ban covers poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen used for artificial insemination.
It also stops the issuance and processing of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) import clearances for poultry products.
Meanwhile, Laurel imposed a temporary ban on animal products from South Korea and Hungary due to an outbreak of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).
Through MOs 16 and 18, the ban covers the importation of live swine, bovines, and water buffaloes (specifically under the families of Suidae, Bovidae and Cervidae), including semen, skeletal muscle meat, casing, tallow, hooves, and horns.
The DA noted that FMD is a highly contagious disease that affects livestock, such as cattle, swine, goats, and other cloven-hoofed ruminants, causing significant economic impact.
Hungary reported FMD cases in its domestic buffaloes to the WOAH on March 7, while South Korea likewise reported cases in its domestic cattle on March 18.
“We are imposing the ban to prevent the entry of the FMD virus and protect the health of the FMD-susceptible animal population,” said Laurel.
Exemptions from the ban include ultra-high temperature milk and derivatives, heat-treated meat products in hermetically sealed containers, protein meal, gelatin, in vivo-derived bovine embryos, and limed hides, pickled pelts, and semi-processed leather.
The entry of products that are already in transit, loaded, or arrived at local ports before Feb. 17 for Hungary and Feb. 27 for South Korea will be allowed entry, provided these goods tested negative for FMD upon arrival.
Turkish poultry products follow the same condition, as long as they were slaughtered or produced before Jan. 1, 2025.