PHL bans poultry products from Israel and Oregon, USA on avian flu outbreak

The Department of Agriculture (DA) imposed a temporary ban on domesticated and wild birds, including its products, from Israel and Oregon in USA to protect the health of local livestock population from avian flu, according to separate statements on Monday.

 

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala ordered the import ban on domesticated and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen from Haifa in Israel "to protect the health of the local livestock population and food safety in the country from the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)."

 

The agency said the Office of International des Epizooties (OIE) or World Organisation for Animal Health reported an outbreak of HPAI virus in Avi’el, Hadera, Haifa, Israel that started on January 14, 2015.

 

The Paris, France-based OIE is an intergovernmental organization responsible for improving animal health worldwide.

 

"The outbreak, according to the OIE, was caused by H5N1 HPAI virus affecting turkey fattening farms as confirmed by the Kimron Veterinary Institute, Avian Diseases Laboratory through real-time polymerase chain reaction," the DA said.

 

Alcala ordered the immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of application and issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Import Clearance against poultry products from Haifa.

 

Another emergency measure is the "stoppage and confiscation of all shipments of the commodities" from Haifa, except heat-treated products with slaughter production date before Oct. 31, 2014.

 

The Philippine poultry subsector grossed P189.7 billion in 2014, up 7.84 percent from 2013.

 

"We cannot afford then to lose this growth foothold to avian diseases; that is why we are keen on monitoring entry of products that could threaten the health of our poultry industry," the Cabinet official said.

 

In a separate statement, the DA said a temporary ban is also imposed on domestic and wild bird and their products such as poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen from the Avian-flu affected state of Oregon in the US and will not be allowed into the Philippines.

 

Alcala ordered that all shipments, except heat-treated products, be stopped and confiscated by DA veterinary quarantine officers and inspectors at all major ports.

 

The H5 avian influenza virus was confirmed by the Washington State University's Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Pullman, as having been found in birds from a backyard poultry flock near Benton City.

 

So far, the Philippine remains free from the highly contagious avian influenza microbe, the Agriculture Department said.

 

"The Philippine has managed to maintain its bird-flu free status since the virus which afflicted Asian countries in 2003 affected the poultry of neighboring nations like Vietnam," according to the department.

 

OIE defines avian influenza, also known as bird flu, as a highly contagious viral disease affecting mainly chickens, turkeys, ducks and other bird. – Kathryn Mae P. Tubadeza/VS, GMA News