DA lifts poultry ban on Hungary

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted the temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their by-products from the town of Kerekegyhaza in Hungary as the outbreak of the avian virus has been resolved.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar lifted the temporary ban, which covers poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen.

Dar said based on the evaluation of the DA, the risk of contamination from importing the mentioned poultry products is negligible.

“All import transactions of the above bird species shall be in accordance with existing rules and regulations of the DA,” Dar said.

Under the Revised Administrative Code, the DA has the power to issue a general order preventing the entry of animals, animal effects, parts or products from any country with dangerous communicable animal disease.

The DA earlier lifted the ban on poultry imports from Japan, Netherlands and the Ukraine as the countries were declared free from HPAI.

In contrast, the temporary ban on poultry imports from the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, France, Sweden, Russia, Poland and Czech Republic remains in effect.

Latest data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that the country imported a total of 260.88 million kilos of chicken meat from January to August this year.  This was 2.63 percent lower than the 267.9 million kilos imported in the same period last year.