PH adds 3 US states in poultry product ban over bird flu outbreak

Metro Manila, Philippines - The government has banned the importation of poultry products from three more US states encountering bird flu outbreaks.

Indiana, New York, and Pennsylvania have been added to the import ban list, according to a March 4 memorandum of the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Friday, March 7.

The order prohibited the entry of domestic and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen. It also suspended the processing, evaluation, and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for these items.

Meanwhile, shipments that are already in transit, loaded, or accepted at the port prior to the order will be allowed, provided the products were slaughtered or produced at least 14 days before the first outbreak in the respective area.

The DA noted that Indiana declared a first outbreak on Jan. 3, New York on Jan. 17, and Pennsylvania on Feb. 4.

Products that violate the order will be confiscated, the DA said.

In February, the DA imposed a similar ban on domestic and wild birds and poultry products from the states of Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, also due to the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 strain.