May 10, 2013

 

Philippines bans poultry imports from Germany

 

 

Due to an outbreak of avian flu in the country, the Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued a temporary ban on the importation of poultry and poultry products from Germany.

 

The department issued Memorandum Order (MO) no. 15 s. 2013 last April 24, implementing the temporary ban of domestic and wild birds including day old chicks, eggs and semen originating from Germany.

 

Bernard Van Goethem, Director of Health and Consumers, Veterinary and International Affairs of the European Commission, issued an official notification of an outbreak of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) serotype H7N7 in the Land of Lower Saxony, Germany.

 

The said order stated that the strain was detected in two poultry holdings affecting turkeys by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, the German National Reference Laboratory on April 19.

 

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala ordered the ban to protect the health of the local poultry population. In addition to the ban, Alcala ordered the immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation, and issuance of veterinary quarantine clearance to the importation of poultry products from Germany. The confiscation and stoppage of shipments of the said poultry products coming from the country was similarly ordered.

 

The DA had implemented a ban in March on poultry products from Italy and the Netherlands due to a reported outbreak of avian influenza in the two countries.

 

According to MO no. seven dated March 12, the DA is "banning the importation of domestic and wild birds, including day old chicks, eggs and semen from Modena, Region of Emilia Romagna, Italy."

 

The document stated that there was an outbreak of LPAI with the serotype H5 in a small rural poultry farm which houses around 221 birds.

 

MO no. eight dated March 13 bans "the importation of domestic and wild birds, including day old chicks, eggs and semen from Lochem, Province of Gelderland, Netherlands."

 

An LPAI of the serotype H7N7 was detected from a laying hen holding yard in Lochem, Netherlands, the document noted.

 

Shipments of heat treated poultry, and poultry products will be accepted provided that the product's veterinary health certificate will include the temperature and the duration of heating or pasteurisation of products. Shipments must also ensure that there was no commingling of raw materials with any other materials of animal origin.

 

Avian influenza or bird flu is a disease capable of causing extremely high mortality (up to 100%) in domestic or wild birds. The flu can be transferred to humans, which causes diseases or even death.