December 16, 2020

Philippines lifts temporary ban on poultry imports from Hungary

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture has lifted a temporary ban on Hungarian poultry imports after the World Organisation for Animal Health confirmed that Hungary is currently free from bird flu, the Philippine Daily Enquirer reported.

The department said Hungary is permitted to export domestic and wild birds and their products to the Philippines. This includes poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen.

The department has also imposed temporary suspensions on poultry imports from Denmark, France, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom after these countries have reported several bird flu outbreaks.

Temporary suspensions on poultry imports remain for Australia, Brazil, Germany, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine and the United States.

Despite the bans, according to data from the Philippines' Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the country's chicken imports has risen 30% to 347,561 metric tonnes over the past 10 months. Mechanically deboned chicken meat imports are also up 31%.

- Philippine Daily Enquirer