MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary import ban on domestic and wild birds, and other poultry products, from Japan and Austria, following recent outbreaks of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in both countries.
In a news release Thursday, the DA said Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed separate memorandum orders on Tuesday, announcing the suspension of imports from the two nations to protect the local poultry industry from potential animal and public health threats.
Aside from domestic and wild birds, the ban also applies to poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen for the artificial insemination of hens.
The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) was likewise directed to cease issuing sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances until further notice.
“The poultry industry is a major investment and job generator and a vital component in ensuring the country’s food security,” Tiu Laurel said.
“It is incumbent upon us to ensure that the local poultry population is not unduly placed at risk from highly infectious diseases.”
The Vice-President of the Regional Commission of Austria informed the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) of an H5N1 bird flu subtype in Mattighofen, Braunau am Inn, in Oberosterreich.
The outbreak, confirmed on October 7 by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, also affected domestic birds.
On Nov. 8, Austria’s Ministry of Health declared the whole country a risk area following an outbreak of bird flu in the Amstetten district of Lower Austria in late October, leading to the culling of about 18, 000 animals.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reported an outbreak of the H5 bird flu subtype in Atsuma, Hokkaido to the WOAH on November 5, after it affected domestic birds on October 16. (PNA)