June 9, 2023

Philippines lifts ban on poultry imports from Minnesota, US and the Netherlands

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) has announced the lifting of a ban on poultry products from the US state of Minnesota and the Netherlands, following the clearance of these regions from H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), BusinessWorld reported.

The DA issued separate memorandum orders allowing the entry of domestic and wild birds, as well as poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen from both locations.

Domingo F. Panganiban, DA Senior Undersecretary, who signed the orders, said that the risk of contamination from importing these poultry products is negligible based on the evaluation conducted by the DA.

The ban on imports from Minnesota was initially imposed on April 7, 2022, by former Agriculture Secretary William Dar. It also encompassed the US states of Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Iowa due to confirmed outbreaks of HPAI. According to an agreement between Philippine and American veterinary authorities in 2016, a state-wide ban is implemented when three or more countries within a state are affected by HPAI.

The poultry ban on the Netherlands was enforced on November 12, 2021, following an outbreak reported in Zeewolde, located in the Dutch province of Flevoland. The ban also included live cattle, meat products, and processed animal proteins derived from cattle. This specific ban was lifted on March 28 after the Netherlands was declared free of mad cow disease.

The DA's procedure for lifting bans relies on official self-declaration reports sent to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), along with supporting documents submitted by the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The memorandum said that all import transactions of the mentioned commodities must adhere to existing rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Jesus C Cham, President Emeritus of the Meat Importers and Traders Association, said that the approval of additional origins will contribute to the supply chain, benefiting both meat traders and processors.

-      BusinessWorld