July 23, 2024

Philippines lifts poultry import ban from Czech Republic

The Philippines has lifted its ban on importing birds and bird by-products from the Czech Republic, GMA News reported.

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr ordered the lifting of the import ban following the declaration that the European country has resolved its avian influenza outbreak.

The DA had issued a temporary ban on the import of wild and domestic birds from the Czech Republic, including poultry meat, eggs, day-old chicks, and semen, in March due to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.

Citing the Czech Republic's recent report to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the DA stated that all bird flu infections have been resolved in the European nation and no additional outbreaks have been reported since May 8.

"With all the technical information and documents submitted by their veterinary authorities, the DA is lifting the suspension imposed on the Czech Republic, thus any trade from this country may commence again," Tiu Laurel said in his Memorandum Order No 30.

The DA said that it imposes a ban on the importation of birds and their by-products from countries with reported outbreaks of bird flu to prevent contagion in the local poultry industry, a multi-billion-peso sector that employs thousands of Filipinos and is a key component of the government's food security goals.

-      GMA News