Manila, Philippines — Animal goods from three countries are now temporarily banned from entering the Philippines due to risks of infectious diseases in animals.
On Friday, the Department of Agriculture imposed a temporary import ban on Turkey, South Korea, and Hungary for poultry and meat products as these countries are currently suffering from an outbreak of animal diseases.
Under Memorandum Order No. 17, the importation of poultry goods from Turkey is temporarily suspended following the recent outbreak of bird flu.
On March 5, the World Health Organization on Animal Health reported an outbreak of H5N1 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza in Sarayduzu, Merkez affecting domestic birds.
This import ban encompasses all poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and products for artificial insemination.
Similarly, the ban hence suspends the issuance and processing of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for the import of mentioned products from Turkey, as well as blocks the entry of products slaughtered and manufactured before January 1.
On the other hand, DA memo 16 and 17 now bans the importation of animal products from South Korea and Hungary due to an outbreak of the Foot and Mouth Disease in these areas.
This ban covers live swine, bovines, and water buffaloes, as well as skeletal muscle meat, casing, tallow, hooves, and horns.
FMD is a highly contagious disease that affects livestock like cattle, swine, goat, and other cloven-hoofed ruminants.
Products, in transit, loaded and arrived at local ports before Feb 17 for Hungary and Feb 27 for South Korea are allowed to enter the Philippines, provided that they have FMD negative tests.