The Department of Agriculture (DA) has updated the guidelines on the shipment of racing pigeons in the country amid efforts to continue limiting the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) in the Philippines.
Under Memorandum Circular no. 35 series of 2023 signed by DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban last Friday, racing pigeons are allowed to be transported within the country as long as it is from AI free provinces to AI free destination provinces.
Only registered pigeon clubs are allowed to train and race birds.
The issuance mandates registered pigeon clubs to have veterinary health certificate, pigeon club certification, animal disease monitoring compliance certificate, livestock handler’s license.
A certificate of free status is also required unless the pigeon comes from AI free regions with comprehensive surveillance data.
The certificate of free status will also be valid for six months from the time of sample collection.
Meanwhile, the DA also issued a temporary ban on imported poultry products from the Netherlands.
Under Memorandum Order No. 55 series of 2023 dated August 11, the DA stopped the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products from said country, including poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs and semen.
The agency said the decision was made after an official report submitted by the chief of Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to the World Organisation for Animal Health on July 24, 2023, that there was an outbreak of H5N1 High Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Biddinghuizen, Dronten affecting domestic birds as confirmed by the Wageningen Bioveterinary Research.
The DA said the order also implements immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance of the said commodities from Netherlands.
All shipments coming from Netherlands that are in transit, loaded or accepted unto port before the official communication to Dutch authorities, will be allowed provided that the products were slaughtered or produced on or before July 9, 2023.
Based on data from the Bureau of Animal Industry, the Philippines has yet to buy any chicken meat from the Netherlands as of the first half of the year but has supplied the country with beef and pork meat totaling 31,270,706 kilograms.
