Philippines bans entry of poultry products from Poland due to bird flu case

The Philippines has temporarily banned the entry of wild birds and other poultry products from Poland, which earlier confirmed a case of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8.

Under Memorandum Order 05, Series of 2020, the Philippines banned the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products.

The order, dated January 21, 2020, was signed by Agriculture Secretary William Dar and released to media on Monday.

The temporary ban includes poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen originating from Poland.

"There is a need to prevent the entry of HPAI virus to protect the health of the local poultry population," the order read.

The order also instituted the following measures:

• banning the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen;
• the immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of the application, and issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) import clearance to the above-stated commodities;
• the stoppage and confiscation of all shipments of the above-stated commodities (with the exception on heat-treated productions) into the country by all DA Veterinary Quarantine Officers;
• frozen poultry meat with slaughter/process date of 21 days prior to the HPAI outbreaks are allowed to enter the country, subject to veterinary quarantine rules and regulations;
• and the importation of meat products of poultry is subject to the conditions of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code.

"This order shall take effect immediately and shall remain enforced unless revoked in writing," the order read. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News