Philippines Bans Poultry Imports from Brazil Amid Bird Flu Outbreak

The Philippines has announced a temporary ban on poultry imports from Brazil following reports of a bird flu outbreak in the South American nation.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. made the announcement during a press briefing, noting that the country has no regionalization agreement with Brazil, which means the ban will apply nationwide. “They were hit by bird flu, and since we don’t have any regionalization protocol in place, we have to halt all poultry imports from Brazil,” he said.

Brazil, the world’s top chicken exporter, confirmed its first case of bird flu on a poultry farm last Friday. The affected farm supplies Vibra Foods, which is partially backed by Tyson Foods.

Despite the ban, Tiu Laurel assured that there will be no major disruption to local supply. “There may be a slight gap in supply for one or two weeks due to the shift in sourcing, but overall, our local poultry production is doing quite well,” he added.