The Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of wild and domestic birds, including poultry products, from the Netherlands following an outbreak of bird flu early this month.

The suspension covers poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and even semen used for artificial insemination of breeders.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said Dutch veterinary authorities reported to the World Organization for Animal Health on October 8 an outbreak of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Aa en Hunze, Drenthe, on October 6, which infected domestic birds.

Acting on the recommendation of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the DA chief ordered the import freeze to protect the country’s poultry population and prevent the entry of the HPAI virus. The poultry industry, Tiu Laurel noted, is vital to food security and a key source of investments and employment.

He also directed the BAI to suspend the processing and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for poultry commodities from the Netherlands.

Under the memorandum order, shipments from the Netherlands that were in transit, loaded, or accepted at ports before the order took effect will be allowed entry, provided the products were slaughtered or produced on or before September 22.

Except for heat-treated products, all covered shipments arriving after the ban will be confiscated by veterinary quarantine officers at ports of entry.

The DA in December last year halted importation of birds and poultry products from the Netherlands due to a bird flu outbreak. That import ban was only lifted last May. ### (By DA – OSEC Comms & file photos by AFID)