The Department of Agriculture (DA) has adopted new guidelines on the shipment of racing pigeons amid efforts limiting the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) in the country.
Under a new memorandum signed by DA senior undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, racing pigeons are allowed within-country transport as long as these are from AI-free provinces to AI-free destination provinces.
The DA emphasized only registered pigeon clubs are allowed to train and race birds.
Registered pigeon clubs need to have veterinary health certificates, pigeon club certification, animal disease monitoring compliance certificates, livestock handler’s license and registration to transport the birds.
A certificate of free status is also required unless the pigeon comes from AI free regions with comprehensive surveillance data.
The certificate of free status is valid for six months from the time of sample collection.
The DA also issued a temporary ban on poultry products from the Netherlands.
Under memorandum order dated 11 Augus, the DA stopped the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products from the Netherlands, including poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs and semen.
The ban came off an official report submitted by the chief of Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to the World Organisation for Animal Health on 24 July 2023 of an outbreak of H5N1 high pathogenic avian influenza in Biddinghuizen, Dronten affecting domestic birds as confirmed by the Wageningen Bioveterinary Research.
That order immediately suspended the processing, evaluation and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance of the cited commodities from the Netherlands.
All shipments from Netherlands already in transit, loaded or accepted unto port before the official communication to Dutch authorities, will be allowed entry provided the products were slaughtered or produced on or before 9 July 2023.
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry show the Philippines has yet to buy chicken meat from the Netherlands but has supplied the country with beef and pork meat totaling 31,270,706 kilograms.
