DA lifts ban on poultry imports from Belgium

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted the ban on importing poultry products from Belgium, after the European country was declared free from bird flu.

In a memorandum order issued on June 30, 2022, then Agriculture Secretary William Dar said that based on the final report submitted to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) by Belgian veterinary authorities, declaring Belgium free from bird flu or highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

“Based on the evaluation of the Department of Agriculture, the risk of contamination from importing poultry meat, day old chicks, and semen is negligible,” Dar said.

With this, the then Agriculture chief lifted the temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild bird and their products from Belgium.

“All import transaction of the above bird species shall be in accordance with existing rules and regulations of the DA,” he said in the memorandum.

The DA banned the importation of poultry products from Belgium in December 2021 after the European nation confirmed the outbreak of HPAI. —LBG, GMA News