The government has lifted its ban on poultry imports from New Zealand, the latest in a series of trade restrictions rolled back recently as local authorities ease curbs tied to past animal disease outbreaks.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed Memorandum Order 62 authorizing the resumption of shipments of domesticated and wild birds, poultry meat, day-old chicks, table eggs and poultry semen used for artificial insemination.
‘Import transactions for the specified commodities, slaughtered or produced after the issuance of this order, may resume in accordance with existing DA rules and regulations,’ Tiu Laurel said in a statement.
The DA imposed the ban in January following reports of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in several parts of New Zealand, a country regarded as one of the Philippines’ smaller but reliable poultry suppliers.
The move to reopen trade came after the World Organization for Animal Health confirmed that the outbreak had been resolved.
The lifting of the restriction comes just days after the DA reopened the country’s borders to poultry imports from six other territories, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Sweden and the Malaysian states of Kelantan and Sabah.
Those bans, initially imposed over avian influenza concerns, were lifted after veterinary authorities confirmed the absence of new outbreaks.
In late September, the DA similarly cleared imports from Israel and South Dakota in the United States, citing improved biosecurity conditions and evaluations by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showing minimal risk of infection.
The reopening of poultry trade also coincides with President Marcos’ signing early this month of a measure that seeks to strengthen the country’s livestock and poultry sectors through a P20-billion annual fund aimed at boosting competitiveness and disease resilience.
Under Republic Act 12308 or the Animal Industry Development and Competitiveness Act, the government will allocate a competitiveness enhancement fund to modernize animal production systems, upgrade biosecurity standards and support farmers as they adjust to easing import restrictions.