The Department of Agriculture (DA)has has imposed a temporary ban on poultry and poultry products from Japan due to an outbreak of avian influenza in that country.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance for the inward shipment of Japanese poultry is suspended.
According to the agency, only wild birds, poultry and poultry products already in transit, loaded and accepted on or before 10 November 2023 are allowed entry to the Philippines.
This developed following an outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to the World Organization for Animal Health on 28 November last year. The outbreak was reported on 23 November last year.
Earlier, the DA also banned the importation of poultry and other poultry products from Belgium and France and from the states of California and Ohio in the United States due to similar HPAI H5N1 issues.
