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Philippines: Ban on all poultry imports urged as bird flu resurfaces
MANILA, Philippines — An agriculture group has urged the government to temporary ban all poultry imports, saying the resurgence of bird flu in Europe and Asia may endanger the local poultry industry anew.
In a statement, the Samahang Industriya sa Agrikultura (SINAG) said the Department of Agriculture should put a halt on all chicken imports to the Philippines amid outbreaks of bird flu.
SINAG said this should be done until such time that the DA has implemented its mandate for a first border inspection on all imported agriculture and food products.
It warned it woauld only take a matter of time for bird flu to reach the Philippines again as several countries have already reported severe outbreaks of bird flu, particularly in Europe and Asia.
In Asia, China, South Korea and Japan have reported outbreaks while Norway, Belgium, Netherlands and France in Europe are experiencing the same.
In China, the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus has infected humans.
So far, the DA has only imposed a temporary ban on poultry imports from the Netherlands.
SINAG chairman Rosendo So said by now, the Philippines should have already learned from the damage caused by African swine fever (ASF), as well as from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We should have seen how important it is to guard those coming into the country. Are we still going to wait before the bird flu enters again and wreak havoc to our poultry growers?” said So.
“The outbreak is now closer to us than it was a few days before,” he said.
It was in March 2020 when the DA reported the detection of the H5N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza in Nueva Ecija.
The virus was eventually detected in Pampanga and Rizal. It was only in January this year when the Philippines officially eradicated the bird flu for the second time around.
SINAG slammed the DA for failing to establish even a single first border inspection facility despite the availability of funds since 2019.
So argued that the Philippines is the only country that is not applying the global standard of quarantine inspection at the port of first entry of any imported food commodity.
“The DA has been prioritizing unlimited importation instead of strengthening border control versus communicable diseases that may affect humans and livestock,” he said.
“We demand a similar policy that no quarantine inspection of chicken and all other agricultural commodities at the port of first entry would mean no entry of imports,” So said.
Source: https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/11/18/2142028/ban-all-poultry-imports-urged-bird-flu-resurfaces