MANILA — In a decisive move to safeguard local poultry farms, the Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) has enacted a temporary import ban on French poultry products following the outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) in France reported on August 7.

According to Philippines News Agency, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. articulated the ban as a preemptive measure aimed at curtailing the introduction of the virus through infected birds and their derivatives into the country. This initiative is expected to forestall the potential spread of the disease, which poses a significant threat to the Philippines' poultry industry. The restriction, encapsulated in DA Memorandum Order 40, encompasses all imports of domestic and wild birds along with shipments of live poultry, poultry products, and by-products such as day-old chicks and semen. Additionally, the issuance of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances (SPSIC) by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) for these products from France is now on hold.

The DA has specified that only poultry slaughtered or products processed before July 25, 2024, will be permitted for entry into the Philippines. This measure comes in the context of substantial trade relations, as the Philippines has imported over 150,752 kilograms of poultry products from France from January to August this year.