Iowa, North Dakota poultry import ban lifted

MANILA -The Philippines is now allowing the entry of poultry products from Iowa and North Dakota as the two American states have been cleared of bird flu.

In a memorandum order, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has lifted the ban on the importation of poultry and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen from these two states effective immediately.

The agency said both Iowa and North have been cleared of bird flu and the risk of contamination from importing these commodities was now “negligible.”

The import ban was lifted as the United States reported to the World Organization for Animal Health that all cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in both states have been resolved and “no additional outbreaks are reported.”

Major supplier

In April last year, the DA temporarily banned poultry imports from four US states—Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa—due to numerous outbreaks of bird flu.

“The rapid spread of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the United States of America in a short period of time since its first laboratory detection necessitates a wider coverage of trade restriction to prevent the entry of HPAI virus and protect the health of the local poultry population,” the DA had said in a previous memo.

Philippine and American veterinary authorities reached an agreement in 2016 that a state-wide ban would only be imposed if there were three or more counties affected by bird flu in said state.

The DA lifted the ban on the importation of poultry products from Missouri in August last year.

The United States is among the country’s major suppliers of meat and meat products.

As of June this year, the United States exported 100.13 million kilograms of meat and meat products to the archipelago, data from the Bureau of Animal Industry showed.

Chicken topped the list with 74.04 million kg, followed by pork totaling 17.88 million kg.