The Bureau of Animal Industry’s (BAI) National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division assured that only safe commodities that are free from transboundary animal diseases enter the Philippines, amid fears raised with the recent arrival of imported pigeons from the United States.
BAI issued the statement on Tuesday after a shipment of pigeons from California, USA, which has an ongoing outbreak of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), was discovered to have arrived in the country.
“In fact, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Veterinary Quarantine Services are on the alert and immediately reported the said shipment. It was found that the sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC) accompanying the pigeons was issued September 15, 2022, way before the issuance of Memorandum No. 736, Series of 2022 ‘Holding in Abeyance Review of SPSIC Requests for All Commodities Derived from Poultry Originating from California, United States of America,’ which was signed September 27, 2022,” BAI said in a statement.
The agency added that quarantine officers verified complete documentation of requirements presented at point of entry, including a valid veterinary health certificate and laboratory tests that indicated that the pigeons were tested and free from any dangerous communicable disease, particularly bird flu.
According to BAI, the pigeons underwent the mandatory 30 days quarantine procedure under strict monitoring and all of the birds have been tested for HPAI during the quarantine period.
Earlier this week, the Department of Agriculture (DA) declared Bataan as free from avian influenza.
Bataan is one of the latest provinces to be declared avian flu-free, through Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 39 Series 2022.
The MC, signed by DA Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, said the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in Bataan was detected in March 22, 2022.
The MC said based on the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of 2021 of the World Organization for Animal Health, the avian influenza free status of a previously free country or zone may be regained after a minimum period of 28 days after a stamping-out policy has been completed, alongside the disinfection of the last affected establishment was carried out together with consequent surveillance.
Data from the BAI showed there were no positive avian influenza cases reported from October 14 to 20. There are no ongoing cases since culling and depopulation activities in previously reported cases were completed.
Despite having no ongoing cases of the disease, not all previously affected areas can be simultaneously considered free from avian influenza as under the current government guidelines, only those without cases for at least 90 days can be processed to be considered as recovered.
