The Department of Agriculture (DA) issued recently a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their poultry products from Japan.

The DA issued the Memorandum Order No. 69 on November 23 following the report submitted by "the Chief Veterinary Officer, Deputy Director-General, Food and Fisheries, Japan to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) on November 1, 2022" about the outbreak of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus in three areas.

According to the Livestock Hygiene Service Centre the virus outbreak is affecting domestic birds in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture and Atsuma Town, Hokkaido Prefecture in Japan.

Poultry products included in the importation temporary ban includes "poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs and semen".

The memorandum order noted that "the processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) import clearance" for the poultry products from Japan is immediately suspended.

However, it also noted that "all shipments coming from Japan that are in transit / loaded / accepted unto port before the official communication of this order to the Japanese authorities shall be allowed provided that the products were slaughtered/produced on or before October 12, 2022." Robina Asido/DMS