DA bans importation of birds from Belgium due to bird flu outbreak

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday that it has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of wild and domestic birds from Belgium after it reported a bird flu outbreak.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued Memorandum Order No. 20 to safeguard the local poultry industry from the H5N1 virus, which was detected among the domestic birds in the Belgian cities of Sint-Niklaas, Oost-Vlaanderen, and Vlaanderen last February 17.

The ban also covers avian products including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen.

“Secretary Tiu Laurel further ordered the immediate suspension of the processing and evaluation of applications for sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for these agricultural goods,” the DA said in a statement.

Further, the DA clarified that shipments from Belgium that were already in transit or accepted in Philippine ports before the ban will still be allowed entry provided that these were slaughtered or produced before February 3, 2025.

“Shipments not meeting these conditions will either be sent back to Belgium, shipped to a third country, or seized and destroyed. Veterinary quarantine officers are required to confiscate all non-compliant shipments, except for heat-treated products,” the DA added.

According to the World Health Organization, human cases of H5N1 or the avian flu “are mostly linked to close contact with infected birds and other animals and contaminated environments.”

It added that it “does not appear to transmit easily from person to person, and sustained human-to-human transmission has not been reported.” —Vince Angelo Ferreras/KG, GMA Integrated News