February 26, 2004

Philippines Bans Poultry Imports From British Columbia, Canada

The Philippines has banned the imports of poultry products from British Columbia, Canada, following the outbreak of bird flu there, a senior government official said Thursday.
 
Agriculture Undersecretary for livestock Cesar Drilon said the memorandum order containing the ban was signed earlier this week by Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo.
 
The U.S. and Canada are major sources of imported poultry products for the Philippines. However, the official wouldn't specify from which area in Canada the Philippines imports poultry products.
 
The Philippines has already banned poultry product imports from Texas, Delaware and Pennsylvania following confirmed outbreaks of bird flu in those U.S. states.
 
The Philippines has remained free of the avian flu virus, which has affected ten of its neighboring countries in Asia.