Last week, the Philippines farm ministry said it has banned poultry imports from California and Ohio. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. said the ban was because of several outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and aims to protect the health of the Philippines' poultry population.
As of January 24th, California counties including Merced, Sonoma, San Joaquin, and Sacramento had reported HPAI outbreaks.
“The rapid spread of the HPAI H5N1 strain in the United States since the first laboratory detection necessitates a wider coverage of the trade restriction to prevent the entry of HPAI virus and protect the health of the local population,” he said.
All shipments coming from California and Ohio that were already in transit, loaded, or accepted at Philippine ports before the ban on January 15th will be allowed if they were slaughtered two weeks before the outbreak began.
According to government data, in 2023, the United States was the second-largest supplier of poultry products to the Philippines and supplied 166,356 tonnes of poultry products valued at $175.8 million.
Earlier this month, the Philippines banned imports of poultry and poultry products from Belgium and France due to HPAI concerns.
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