Bird flu threat: Pangasinan bars entry of quails, ducks

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Philippines — A ban on the entry of quails and ducks in this province is in effect until the end of March.

Gov. Amado Espino III issued an executive order enforcing the ban starting on Feb. 25 due to cases of avian influenza or bird flu in Bulacan and Pampanga.

The EO cited tests conducted by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry, which confirmed that the affected birds were infected with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza.

”There is an urgent need to prohibit the entry of quails and ducks in the province of Pangasinan to safeguard its poultry industry as well as protect the general public from the ill effects of the bird flu disease,” the EO read.

Espino directed provincial veterinarian quarantine officers to put up checkpoints in strategic areas such as the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.

Under the EO, owners of poultry farms should present a certification that their poultries and establishments are not infected with avian flu.

“All local chief executives are directed to strengthen biosafety, hygiene and sanitation standards in slaughterhouses, abattoirs, public markets and poultry farms in their respective areas of jurisdiction,” Espino said.