January 26, 2004

Philippines Bans Chicken Imports From Bird Flu Hit Nations

The Philippines has banned poultry imports from most Asian countries with a history of chicken disease as a precaution against the spread of bird flu, authorities said Friday.

The ban includes South Korea, Japan and Vietnam, while Thailand, where officials Friday confirmed the first two human cases of bird flu, will be added to the list soon, said Jose Molina, director of the Bureau of Animal Industry.

The Philippines doesn't import poultry from any of these countries, but decided to ban chicken products as a precaution, he said. Most of the poultry products are imported from the U.S., Canada, Australia and Brazil.

"We haven't been importing, but we are making sure we won't be issuing permits because of the risk," Molina said.

He said imports of breeder chicks from Indonesia stopped in August, after officials there reported cases of New Castle disease, a bird virus that caused severe losses in the U.S. poultry industry in the past.