The Philippines has lifted its ban on importing domestic and wild birds, as well as poultry products, from California and South Dakota in the United States. This decision was announced by the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Saturday.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed Memorandum Order No. 37 earlier this week, allowing the importation of birds and poultry products, including meat, hatching eggs, day-old chicks, and semen for artificial insemination from the two US states.
The DA lifted the ban after California and South Dakota reported no new outbreaks of avian influenza since June and May of this year, respectively. The ban on California’s poultry imports was initially imposed in January, while South Dakota faced similar restrictions starting in November last year due to outbreaks of the H5N1 subtype of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, which had caused significant losses by killing millions of birds.
The DA highlighted that the poultry sector is a significant part of Philippine agriculture, contributing approximately 18% to farm output and playing a crucial role in ensuring food security. The sector has seen a 2% growth in the first half of the year, largely driven by increased chicken production.
Regions such as Central Luzon, CALABARZON, and Northern Mindanao have the highest poultry inventories, with 33.68 million, 27.32 million, and 25.87 million birds, respectively.
Comments are closed for this article!