Ban on poultry imports from US state of Illinois reimposed

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has reimposed a ban on poultry and poultry-product imports from the US state of Illinois following confirmed outbreaks of avian influenza.

In Department Circular No. 15, the DA said an official report submitted by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on March 9 confirmed multiple outbreaks of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) affecting domestic birds in Illinois.

“The rapid spread of HPAI in the US in a short period of time since its first laboratory detection necessitates a wider coverage of trade restriction to prevent the entry of the HPAI virus and protect the health of the local poultry population,” the DA said.

The ban covers domestic and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen from Illinois.

It also suspended the processing and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for these commodities and revoked previously approved permits for live-bird imports.

The DA said a 2016 agreement between Philippine and US veterinary authorities allows a state-wide ban on poultry imports to be triggered if at least three counties in a state are affected by HPAI.

The DA had lift the temporary ban on Illinois poultry imports in February, after animal health reports at the time indicated that the state no longer met the threshold for state-wide trade restrictions. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel