The Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said pigeon racing, a common hobby, is still banned due to the continued threat of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the Philippines.
BAI said HPAI is highly contagious to birds and may cause mortalities, especially on chickens.
In an advisory yesterday, BAI said the ban is imposed due to the challenge in monitoring pigeons which may get into contact with wild birds that can be carriers of the AI virus.
“Based on Memorandum Circular 27 series of 2022, the transport of up to 10 pigeons is allowed by adhering to certain conditions including negative AI testing, veterinary health certificate and Newcastle disease vaccination. This is to ensure the needs of breeding and transfer of pigeons,” BAI said.
As of June 24, the country has resolved 132 out of 142 AI cases in 95 affected barangays in 14 provinces including Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Bataan, Laguna, Camarines Sur, Sultan Kudarat, Benguet, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Maguindanao and Isabela.
Apart from migratory wild birds, BAI said among the possible sources of AI infection also include the late or non-reporting of suspect cases as well as the illegal movement of infected birds.
For the period, the government recorded a total of 133,160 mortalities and 286,934 culling which involved ducks, quails, native chickens, chicken layers and broiler breeders, among others.
