In separate memorandum orders recently issued by the Office of the Secretary, the DA said poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen are covered by the import ban. The same avian flu virus was detected in Frodsham, England that affected broiler breeder rearing birds. Agriculture Secretary William Dar ordered the immediate suspension of processing and evaluation of application as well as issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) import clearance for the said commodities. Dar said poultry shipments with SPS import clearance issued on or before Nov. 9 would be allowed provided that frozen poultry meat has a slaughter or process date of 21 days prior to the HPAI outbreak on or before Oct. 3. Apart from Japan and the UK, the DA has ordered a ban on poultry imports from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine and the United States.

Source: Philippine Star November 20, 2020 15:56 UTC