The Department of Agriculture has issued a temporary ban on the importation of poultry products from Michigan, USA, following the emergence of the H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Under Memorandum Order 24 signed on 7 June, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. immediately suspended the importation of domestic and wild birds and associated products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen from Michigan. The issuance of new sanitary and phytosanitary permits by the Bureau of Animal Industry for animal and product imports has been similarly halted.
The order stipulates that shipments from Michigan currently in transit, loaded, or accepted at ports prior to the official communication of the order to U.S. authorities will be permitted if the products were processed or produced 14 days before the initial outbreak was reported. Non-compliant shipments may face confiscation and destruction, return to the country of origin, or redirection to a third country.
The US Chief Veterinary Officer to the World Organization for Animal Health reported an outbreak of the H5N1 subtype of avian influenza in Michigan and confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, on 29 March.
Subsequently, US authorities observed the rapid spread of the virus, prompting the broadening of trade restrictions to safeguard the local poultry population.
Under a bilateral agreement between the Philippines and the US in 2016, a state-wide ban is imposed if three or more counties are affected by avian flu, underscoring the collaborative efforts to mitigate the spread of the disease and protect poultry populations.
