The Department of Agriculture has implemented a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds, as well as their products, from Turkey following an outbreak of bird flu among domestic birds in the European country.
The department also enacted a temporary ban on the importation of live swine, cattle, and water buffaloes, as well as related products such as semen, skeletal muscle meat, casings, tallow, hooves, and horns from South Korea and Hungary due to outbreaks of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).
On March 5, veterinary authorities in Turkey reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) an outbreak of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Sarayduzu, Merkez.
The temporary ban on poultry products from Turkey also includes poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen used for artificial insemination.
A memorandum order signed by Agriculture secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on March 26, 2025 also halted the issuance and processing of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for the identified commodities from Turkey, and ordered the rejection of any products slaughtered or manufactured before January 1 of this year.
“The import ban is a pre-emptive measure to safeguard the poultry industry, a vital sector of the economy that generates jobs and investments and plays an essential role in the government’s push for food security,” Tiu Laurel said.
Tiu Laurel likewise signed separate memorandum orders to implement the ban on domestic buffaloes from Hungary on March 7 and on domestic cattle from South Korea on March 18.
FMD is a highly contagious and severe viral disease that affects livestock, leading to significant economic consequences. The virus primarily impacts animals with cloven hooves, including cattle, swine, and goats.
Both incidents were confirmed by veterinary authorities in the respective countries and reported to WOAH.
“We are implementing this ban to prevent the entry of the FMD virus and safeguard the health of our vulnerable livestock,” Tiu Laurel said.
Exemptions to the ban include ultra-high temperature milk and its derivatives, heat-treated meat products in hermetically sealed containers, protein meal, gelatin, in vivo-derived bovine embryos, and limed hides, pickled pelts, and semi-processed leather.
Products from animals slaughtered or produced before February 17, 2025 for Hungary and before February 27, 2025 for South Korea, provided they tested negative for FMD upon arrival, will also be allowed entry.