Philippines halts poultry imports from Netherlands amid bird flu outbreak

MANILA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of wild and domestic birds, including poultry products, from the Netherlands following a recent outbreak of bird flu, the country's Department of Agriculture (DA) said Thursday.

The suspension covers poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and even semen used for artificial insemination of breeders, the DA said in a press release.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said Dutch veterinary authorities reported to the World Organization for Animal Health on Oct. 8 an outbreak of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Aa en Hunze, Drenthe, on Oct. 6, which infected domestic birds.

Acting on the recommendation of the Bureau of Animal Industry, the DA chief ordered the import freeze to protect the country's poultry population and prevent the entry of the HPAI virus.

Under the memorandum order, shipments from the Netherlands that were in transit, loaded, or accepted at ports before the order took effect will be allowed entry, provided the products were slaughtered or produced on or before Sept. 22.

Except for heat-treated products, all covered shipments arriving after the ban will be confiscated by veterinary quarantine officers at ports of entry.

The Philippines, in December last year, halted importation of birds and poultry products from the Netherlands due to a bird flu outbreak. That import ban was only lifted last May. ■