Department of Agriculture moves to protect local poultry sector and public health after confirmed avian influenza outbreak in Buenos Aires region.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES: The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of birds and poultry products from Argentina after a confirmed outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in that country.
Signed on September 5, Memorandum Order No. 48 prohibits the entry of domestic and wild birds, poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and poultry semen for artificial insemination from Argentina. The move follows a reported H5N1 detection in the northern Buenos Aires region on August 17, which Argentine authorities reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) on August 20.
“We are imposing the import ban because the H5N1 subtype poses a serious risk to both poultry and public health,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. “As directed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the DA must protect not only food security but also public health.”
The order also instructs the Bureau of Animal Industry to immediately suspend the processing and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) import clearances for poultry commodities originating from Argentina.
Protecting the local poultry industry
The Philippines’ poultry sector has already suffered major losses due to previous avian influenza outbreaks, with culling operations costing hundreds of millions of pesos and resulting in significant job losses.
While Camarines Sur province has recently been declared free of avian influenza, eight provinces across four regions in the country remain affected by the virus as of September 10. The DA confirmed that it is closely monitoring global disease reports and working to strengthen biosecurity protocols to safeguard the country’s food security, poultry industry, and public health.
