March 11, 2021

Philippines imposes temporary ban on UK poultry imports due to bird flu

William Dar, Philippines Agriculture Secretary, has signed a memorandum order temporarily banning British poultry imports, which includes domestic and wild bird products such as poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen, due to bird flu, BusinessWorld reported.

The move comes as the UK reported several highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu outbreaks, and includes the suspension of processing, evaluation, and import clearances.

The Philippines had already banned poultry imports from England, but expanded the ban to the rest of the UK after bird flu outbreaks were detected in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

Jesus C. Cham, Meat Importers and Traders Association president, said the UK poultry import ban will affect the local meat processing industry as it will result in increased raw material costs for processors, which will be passed on to consumers.

The Philippines imported 1.66 million kg of chicken as of January 31, accounting for 9.8% of all poultry imports, according to data from the Philippines' Bureau of Animal Industry.

- BusinessWorld