The Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products from Turkey following an outbreak bird flu among domestic birds in the European country.
In a media release, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the import ban is a pre-emptive measure to safeguard the poultry industry, a vital sector of the economy that generates jobs and investments and plays an essential role in the government’s push for food security.
Veterinary authorities from Turkey had reported to the World Organization on Animal Health on March 5 an outbreak of H5N1 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza in Sarayduzu, Merkez affecting domestic birds.
The temporary import ban also covers poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen used for artificial insemination.
The memorandum order, signed Wednesday by Secretary Tiu Laurel, also stopped the issuance and processing of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for the importation of the identified commodities from Turkey, and ordered the refusal of entry of products slaughtered or manufacturer before January 1 this year.
