The Department of Agriculture has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds—and their products—from Indiana following confirmed outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza strain.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. signed the import restriction, directing an immediate halt to shipments of poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen originating from the Midwestern state of the US.
The decision follows a February 23 report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), confirming multiple outbreaks of H5N1 in Indiana. Laboratory confirmation was carried out by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
The DA said the rapid spread of the virus across the US necessitated wider trade restrictions to shield the country’s multibillion-peso poultry industry from possible exposure.
Under a 2016 bilateral animal health arrangement between Manila and Washington, a state-wide ban may be imposed if three or more counties in a US state are affected by bird flu.
Indiana has breached that threshold, according to official reports submitted to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
The import ban immediately suspends the processing and issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances (SPSICs) for the covered commodities. Previously approved SPS clearances for live birds are automatically revoked.
However, shipments already in transit, loaded, or accepted at port before the circular’s effectivity may still enter the Philippines—provided the products were slaughtered or produced on or before January 30.
All non-compliant shipments will be confiscated or dealt with under existing quarantine regulations. Veterinary quarantine officers across major ports have been instructed to enforce strict inspection and stoppage protocols.