Phl to halt Brazil poultry imports

The Philippines is set to temporarily halt poultry imports from Brazil after the South American nation, the country's top meat supplier, confirmed its first bird flu outbreak in a commercial farm.

- By JASPER EMMANUEL ARCALAS

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. confirmed to The STAR that the Department of Agriculture (DA) will impose a country-wide ban on Brazil, the world's top producer and exporter of poultry products.

The bird flu outbreak in Brazil, which caused the death of almost 7,400 breeders in Rio Grande do Sul, triggered import bans from various countries that have included China, Mexico, Chile and Uruguay. This is the first confirmed bird flu outbreak in a commercial poultry farm in Brazil.

The Philippines usually imposes a temporary import ban on countries with confirmed bird flu outbreaks to protect domestic poultry populations from the transboundary animal disease.