PHL closes borders to Indiana poultry products

THE Philippines has suspended poultry imports from Indiana after multiple outbreaks of the H5N1 avian influenza strain were confirmed in the US state.

- By Bless Aubrey

Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed the order directing an immediate halt to shipments of poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and poultry semen originating from the Midwestern state.

In a February 23 report, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed multiple H5N1 outbreaks in Indiana, with laboratory confirmation conducted by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.

Under a 2016 bilateral animal health agreement between Manila and Washington, the country may impose a statewide import ban if bird flu cases are detected in three or more counties within a US state.