By Marita Moaje
MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on poultry products from Türkiye after a reported outbreak of the H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the European country.
In a news release on Friday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the ban would cover domestic and wild birds and their products from Türkiye, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen used for artificial insemination.
“The import ban is a pre-emptive measure to safeguard the poultry industry, a vital sector of the economy that generates jobs and investments and plays an essential role in the government’s push for food security,” he said.
Türkiye’s veterinary authorities said the bird flu outbreak was reported to the World Organization for Animal Health on March 5, affecting domestic birds in Sarayduzu, Merkez.
On Wednesday, Laurel signed a memorandum order that also halts the issuance and processing of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for the importation of the identified commodities from Türkiye.
It also prohibits the entry into the Philippines of products slaughtered or manufactured before Jan. 1 this year. (PNA)
