THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has banned the importation of poultry and other poultry products, including wild birds, from Belgium and France after the two European nations reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) their respective outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in domestic birds.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the import bans imposed on the neighboring European countries were necessary to prevent the possible entry of HPAI-H5N1 into the Philippines. “We’re doing this to protect the health of our local poultry population as well as poultry workers and consumers since H5N1 is a virus that can be transmitted to humans by infected animals,” he said.
Belgium and France, which share a border, almost simultaneously reported the bird flu outbreak in domestic birds to the WOAH. Belgium submitted its report on December 1, 2023 while France on November 30, 2023.
