PHL halts Russian poultry imports on bird flu

THE Philippines has suspended the importation of poultry products from Russia over concerns of bird flu outbreaks in the transcontinental country after Moscow confirmed its first case of human transmission of H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar issued Memorandum Order (MO) No. 17 that temporarily banned the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products from the Russian Federation.

Citing Moscow’s reports to the Worldorganisationforanimalhealth, Dar noted that there are “ongoing outbreaks of H5N8 HPAI” in several areas of the Russian Federation.

Furthermore, Dar said the Russian Federation has reported to the World Health Organization its first case of human transmission of H5N8 HPAI.

“There is a need to prevent the entry of HPAI virus to protect the health of the local poultry population,” Dar said in the MO issued recently.

Due to the temporary ban, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) will immediately suspend the processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) import clearance for poultry imports from Czech Republic.

The DA has earlier suspended poultry imports from Czech

Republic over the same concerns on H5N8 HPAI outbreaks in the European country.

Earlier this year, the Philippines formally notified the OIE that it has resolved the AI outbreaks it recorded in Pampanga and Rizal last year.

Based on its report to the OIE on January 13, the Philippines said San Luis, Pampanga and Taytay, Rizal are now free from bird flu.

The DA confirmed last year the resurgence of the fatal H5N6 HPAI in a layer farm in San Luis, Pampanga—the hot zone of the Central Luzon bird f lu outbreak where over 200,000 birds were culled in 2017.

The dreaded bird flu struck an egg farm where government veterinarians had humanely culled 38,701 heads, according to the DA.

The DA said initial field investigation showed the presence of migratory birds in San Luis, Pampanga. Migratory birds have been associated with bird flu outbreaks in many countries, including the Philippines, DA added.

The bird flu outbreak in barangay San Carlos, San Luis, Pampanga was the second bird flu outbreak last year following the confirmed outbreak in Jaen, Nueva Ecija.

The third bird flu outbreak confirmed by the Philippines last year was in backyard farms in Taytay, Rizal, and affected a few hundreds of muscovy ducks and native chickens. Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas