Eggs, chickens from Luzon slip through shipment ban
August 16, 2017 | 11:30am
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said 1,500 eggs were confiscated in Caticlan Port and 21 metric tons (MT) of dressed chickens were seized in Cagayan de Oro Port. File photo
MANILA, Philippines — Despite the ban on the shipment of poultry products from Luzon, authorities confiscated eggs and dressed chickens in two ports in Visayas and Mindanao, the Department of Agriculture said.
In a briefing Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said 1,500 eggs were confiscated in Caticlan Port and 21 metric tons (MT) of dressed chickens were seized in Cagayan de Oro Port.
This is despite the DA order that there will still be no movement of live domestic and wild birds and their by-products from mainland and island provinces of Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao.
The 1,500 eggs were from Candaba, Pampanga coursed through Batangas Port while the 21 MT dressed chickens were coursed through the Manila Port.
“Because of this, I ordered the investigation of the quarantine chief [Herminia Burgo] at the Batangas Port,” Pinol said.
The department is still verifying the details of who shipped the products and where exactly these would be brought.
The local industry has been urging DA to lift the temporary ban on the shipment from Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao so as not to disrupt the supply chain.
However, the DA said it is firm on its decision to not lift the ban on the shipment.
“We can never be sure that virus was contained 100 percent. The longer time that we act on this, the greater is the risk that the virus would spread. We really have to handle this problem really well,” Pinol said.
According to the industry, volume of sales of poultry products in Central Luzon continues to decline by about 80 percent due to the bird flu scare.
Visayas, Mindanao prices also dropping
As an effect of the ban, reports in the Visayas and Mindanao showed that prices there have also dropped.
“Some have stopped buying. There is already a huge impact in the Visayas and Mindanao because a lot are coming from Central Luzon, particularly Batangas,” Philippine Egg Board president Irwin Ambal said.
Data showed that production volume nationwide is at 1.6 billion kilograms of chicken and 461 million kg of eggs, where half of both products are coming from Luzon.
“Lifting the ban will unburden the Visayas region on an impending short supply in the region,” United Broilers Raisers Association president Elias Jose Inciong said.
Value estimates showed that the industry is losing approximately P179 million on a daily basis with the continued ban.
Luzon to Luzon movement of live birds and their by-products may be allowed provided that this is outside of the seven-kilometer radius control of area of Pampanga and subject to a shipping permit and a veterinary health certificate.
These should be issued by a government sector veterinarian certifying the the products were sourced from farms with no incidence of bird flu for the past 21 days prior to shipment.
The ban will only be lifted when there are no new cases reported 90 days after stamping out activities including disinfection of all affected areas and surveillance.
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