Philippines bans importation of poultry from Japan due to bird flu

The Philippine government is prohibiting the entry of poultry and poultry products from Japan due to an outbreak of avian influenza or bird flu.

In a news release on Thursday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued a memorandum order on January 17, which temporarily banned the importation of poultry and poultry products, including eggs and day-old chicks from Japan.

Laurel suspended the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance for the inward shipment of wild birds, poultry and poultry products from the East Asian country.

The DA, however, said wild birds, poultry and poultry products imported from Japan that are already in transit, loaded and accepted on or before November 10, 2023 will be allowed entry to the Philippines.

Meanwhile, shipments after November 10 will either be returned to Japan, confiscated, or destroyed.

The Agriculture Department said the import ban was imposed after Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reported an outbreak of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza to the World Organization for Animal Health on November 28, 2023.

The Japanese Agri-fisheries ministry’s report showed there was an outbreak of the H5N1 strain on wild and domesticated birds last November 24 in Kashima City in Saga Prefecture.

Laurel said the import ban was necessary to protect the local poultry population from exposure to the H5N1 avian influenza strain. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News