DA halts importation of birds and poultry from Japan, Czech Republic
03/25/2009 | 04:53 PM
MANILA, Philippines — The importation of birds and poultry from Japan and the Czech Republic will be temporarily suspended as part of efforts to keep the Philippines free of Avian Influenza or bird flu, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Wednesday.
On the other hand, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the department has lifted the ban on such imports from the US state of Idaho as the risk of contamination from importing poultry and poultry products there is “negligible."
Yap said that based on the evaluation of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the risk of contamination from importing poultry and poultry products from Idaho is “negligible."
The DA said its actions were based on reports of the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or Animal Health Organization confirming outbreaks of the dreaded bird flu in these areas.
The ban covers “domestic and wild birds, and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen."
Yap, on the other hand, lifted the ban on the imports of these commodities from Idaho after the OIE had validated the report of the state’s National Surveillance Unit Epidemiologist — Dr. Stan Bruntz—that the bird flu had been eradicated in the area.
The state of Idaho also reported that the cleaning and disinfecting of the affected premises in Payette County were completed last October 29 and that ongoing surveillance has not detected any additional avian flu cases.
Yap said that based on the evaluation of the BAI, the risk of contamination from importing poultry and poultry products from Idaho is “negligible."
The DA chief noted that the OIE had separately confirmed the occurrence of low pathogenic avian flu in a farm in Toyohashi City following a report by Japan ’s International Animal Health Affairs Office of the Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau on the presence of the strain in that area,
According to the OIE, it had also confirmed the outbreak of low pathogenic avian flu in a farm in Hodonin Jihomoravsky in the Czech Republic .
Yap said in his directive that the ban and other emergency measures were necessary to protect human health and the poultry industry in the Philippines , which has remained free of bird flu ever since the H5N1 strain of this virus struck back in Asia six years ago.
The Philippines along with Brunei and Singapore are the only AI-free countries in Southeast Asia .
Yap directed quarantine officers and inspectors of the Department at all major airports and seaports to stop and confiscate all shipments of live birds, poultry and poultry products into the country originating from Japan and the Czech Republic
He also ordered the immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of VQCs to all imports covering these products from the banned areas.
As of March 23, a total of 57 countries with reported outbreaks of AI in their respective domestic poultry sectors are temporarily banned from shipping their poultry and poultry products to the Philippines .
The World Health Organization has reported that as of March 23 this year, there were 412 laboratory-confirmed cases of the bird flu and 256 fatalities from the disease since the H5N1 strain of the virus broke out in Southeast Asia in 2003 and then spread across the rest of the continent, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANewS.TV
On the other hand, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the department has lifted the ban on such imports from the US state of Idaho as the risk of contamination from importing poultry and poultry products there is “negligible."
Yap said that based on the evaluation of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the risk of contamination from importing poultry and poultry products from Idaho is “negligible."
The DA said its actions were based on reports of the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or Animal Health Organization confirming outbreaks of the dreaded bird flu in these areas.
The ban covers “domestic and wild birds, and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen."
Yap, on the other hand, lifted the ban on the imports of these commodities from Idaho after the OIE had validated the report of the state’s National Surveillance Unit Epidemiologist — Dr. Stan Bruntz—that the bird flu had been eradicated in the area.
The state of Idaho also reported that the cleaning and disinfecting of the affected premises in Payette County were completed last October 29 and that ongoing surveillance has not detected any additional avian flu cases.
Yap said that based on the evaluation of the BAI, the risk of contamination from importing poultry and poultry products from Idaho is “negligible."
The DA chief noted that the OIE had separately confirmed the occurrence of low pathogenic avian flu in a farm in Toyohashi City following a report by Japan ’s International Animal Health Affairs Office of the Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau on the presence of the strain in that area,
According to the OIE, it had also confirmed the outbreak of low pathogenic avian flu in a farm in Hodonin Jihomoravsky in the Czech Republic .
Yap said in his directive that the ban and other emergency measures were necessary to protect human health and the poultry industry in the Philippines , which has remained free of bird flu ever since the H5N1 strain of this virus struck back in Asia six years ago.
The Philippines along with Brunei and Singapore are the only AI-free countries in Southeast Asia .
Yap directed quarantine officers and inspectors of the Department at all major airports and seaports to stop and confiscate all shipments of live birds, poultry and poultry products into the country originating from Japan and the Czech Republic
He also ordered the immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of VQCs to all imports covering these products from the banned areas.
As of March 23, a total of 57 countries with reported outbreaks of AI in their respective domestic poultry sectors are temporarily banned from shipping their poultry and poultry products to the Philippines .
The World Health Organization has reported that as of March 23 this year, there were 412 laboratory-confirmed cases of the bird flu and 256 fatalities from the disease since the H5N1 strain of the virus broke out in Southeast Asia in 2003 and then spread across the rest of the continent, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANewS.TV
