February 24, 2004

Philippines To Ban Poultry Imports From Texas

The Philippines is set to ban poultry product imports from Texas following an outbreak of the bird flu virus in the U.S. state, a senior government official said Tuesday.
 
Cesar Drilon, agriculture undersecretary for livestock, said a memorandum order containing the ban is expected to be signed shortly by Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo.
 
"We have prepared the memorandum order. It should be effective immediately," Drilon told Dow Jones Newswires.
 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's office in the Philippines said Monday that the bird flu virus found in a Texas flock last week is a highly pathogenic strain.
 
Drilon said the ban is necessary to prevent the entry of the bird flu virus to the Philippines. Ten other Asian governments are battling a strain of the virus. The Philippines, which has remained free of the virus, has already issued import bans on poultry products from Delaware and Pennsylvania due to outbreaks of bird flu in those states, Drilon said.
 
A source at the Bureau of Animal Industry said the Philippines imports chickens for cockfighting from Texas. However, BAI Director Jose Molina said he was trying to verify this information, adding that imported poultry products from the U.S. originate mainly from Alabama and California.