BAN ON POULTRY IMPORTS FROM NOVA SCOTIA, POLAND LIFTED

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is now allowing industry players to source poultry products from Nova Scotia in Canada and in Poland.

In separate issuances signed by Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, the DA repealed the import ban imposed earlier on domestic and wild birds and their products including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen from Nova Scotia and Poland due to bird flu cases there.

Citing reports submitted by veterinary officials of Canada and Poland to global authorities, all events of highly pathogenic avian influenza “are now closed and resolved.”

“Based on the evaluation of the [DA], the risk of contamination from importing poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen is negligible,” the documents read.

Meanwhile, the DA temporarily halted the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products coming from California in the United States, Hungary and Japan as these countries recorded bird flu outbreaks.

The DA is immediately suspending the processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance to the aforementioned commodities.

All shipments coming from the United States that were in transit/loaded/accepted unto port before the official communication of the order would be allowed, provided these were slaughtered or produced on or before Aug. 4 this year.

Poultry products from Japan and Hungary are allowed to be delivered to the Philippines as long as these were slaughtered or produced on or before Oct. 12 and Oct. 19, respectively.