The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday lifted the temporary ban of poultry products from Chile and Turkey but at the same time prevented the entry of pork products from Sweden.
The DA issued memorandum orders lifting the ban against Chile and Turkey on one hand but imposing a new one against the Nordic country which is home to the Nobel Prize.
DA senior undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said removing Chile and Turkey from the restricted list of countries for importing poultry products resulted from evidence showing successful containment and eradication of the bird flu virus.
But the DA lowered the boom on Swedish pork products based on official reports by veterinary authorities in Sweden to the World Organization for Animal Health on the outbreak of the African swine fever or ASF in its borders.
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) show the Philippines importing 289.52 million kilograms of poultry meat from Sweden in the first eight months this year.
