Suspend imports to protect local poultry, DA urged

Following the reemergence of avian flu across Europe and Asia, an industry group on Wednesday called for the suspension of chicken and other poultry importation until the country can fully implement a first-border inspection at major ports.

Even as the Philippines mostly imports poultry from the United States, Brazil and Europe, with nearby countries like Japan, South Korea and China reporting recent bird flu outbreaks, the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) expressed fear that lax inspection and smuggling may bring the highly pathogenic disease into local poultry farms.

Bird flu, like African swine fever (ASF), is easily transmissible and would require the culling of both infected and noninfected animals to prevent the virus from spreading. It was only in January this year that the Philippines was declared bird flu-free by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) after outbreaks in Pampanga and Rizal province.

Currently, agricultural commodities are only subjected to “close-open” examinations wherein shipments are literally opened and closed until they are transported to the National Meat Inspection Service for thorough inspection.

The need for stricter protocols became even more pressing when tainted meat smuggled from China was found to be the cause of the first ASF outbreak in the country in 2019.

“We should learn from our experience with ASF and the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw how important strict surveillance and monitoring are. Should we wait for the bird flu to enter the country and destroy the livelihood of thousands of families that are dependent on poultry?” said Sinag chair Rosendo So.

As of press time, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has banned the importation of poultry from the Netherlands and China after confirmed cases of bird flu in these countries.

United Broilers Raisers Association president Bong Inciong said the DA should prove its capacity to enforce these bans before a wholesale ban is considered, or smuggling may only worsen.

“We need to know first what is the DA’s plan, if any, to address the matter. If there are no plans, then the proposal should be given consideration,” he added.

The establishment of a first-border inspection facility was approved last year and has already secured funding from the Office of the President, but construction continues to be hampered by bureaucratic and technical issues.

It was in July when the agency announced it would be relocating the first-border inspection facility to Subic from Manila after over a year of negotiations. Following recent developments, the DA’s initial target of completing the facility before the end of President Duterte’s term next year is already far-fetched.