The Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of poultry products from the Netherlands following a recent outbreak of the H5 subtype of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus. The order, which affects both domestic and wild birds, was announced in a memorandum order signed by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
According to the DA, the Netherlands notified the World Organization for Animal Health on 18 November about confirmed outbreaks of H5 avian influenza. The infection was further validated by the Wageningen Bioveterinary Research in the Netherlands. As a precautionary measure, the DA suspended the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance by the Bureau of Animal Industry for all poultry products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen.
The memorandum also includes a provision allowing shipments in transit before the official notice to Dutch authorities, as long as the products were slaughtered or produced prior to 3 November 2024.
The Netherlands is a significant player in the Philippines’ poultry import market, providing 9.17 million kg of chicken meat as of September 2024, or about 2.65 percent of total chicken imports for the year.
The move comes as part of the DA’s ongoing efforts to protect local poultry farms from the spread of avian influenza, which can have devastating effects on both the health of birds and the broader poultry industry.
