The Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of poultry and related products from Brazil following confirmed outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza in Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul. This decision, signed by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., halts the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for Brazilian poultry, including meat, eggs, day-old chicks, and semen.
Products produced or slaughtered on or before April 28 will still be accepted if already in transit before the official notification to Brazil. Otherwise, non-compliant shipments will be re-exported or destroyed, unless they are heat-treated.
Brazil supplied over half of the Philippines’ imported chicken in 2024, accounting for more than 237 million kilograms. Industry stakeholders, including the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), have raised concerns about the ban’s market impact. SINAG executive director Jayson Cainglet pointed out that despite low farmgate prices (₱90–₱120/kg), retail prices remain high (₱200–₱250/kg), suggesting a pricing imbalance rather than a supply shortage.
The DA continues to monitor public markets, where whole dressed chicken prices currently range from ₱160 to ₱240 per kilogram.
