April 1, 2025

Philippines stops poultry imports from Turkey due to HPAI outbreak

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on poultry products from Turkey after a reported outbreak of the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the country.

In a news release on March 28, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the ban would cover domestic and wild birds and their products from Turkey, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen used for artificial insemination.

"The import ban is a pre-emptive measure to safeguard the poultry industry, a vital sector of the economy that generates jobs and investments and plays an essential role in the government's push for food security," he said.

Turkey's veterinary authorities said the bird flu outbreak was reported to the World Organization for Animal Health on March 5, affecting domestic birds in Sarayduzu, Merkez.

Last week, Laurel signed a memorandum order that also halts the issuance and processing of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for the importation of the identified commodities from Turkey. It also prohibits the entry into the Philippines products slaughtered or manufactured before January 1 this year.

- PNA