The Philippines’ Bureau of Animal (BAI) is updating the guidelines for bilateral recognition of bird flu regionalization. The updated bird flu guidelines aim to ensure the safe importation of poultry products amidst ongoing avian influenza outbreaks in exporting countries.
The BAI is gathering position papers and feedback on the draft guidelines for recognizing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) regionalization. They are seeking input from concerned industry stakeholders until March 3.
Under the proposed framework, agricultural products can be imported from specific disease-free zones within a country rather than implementing a total national import prohibition.
The Bureau of Animal Industry Advisory stated that the draft guideline aims to ensure the safe trade of poultry, such as day-old chicks and parent stocks, during outbreaks of HPAI in exporting countries.
According to the BAI, they have already implemented zoning protocols for domestic transportation of poultry and poultry products from areas unaffected by avian influenza. The drafted circular outlines the process by which approved countries can seek recognition of HPAI regionalization status, enabling them to export live animals, including meat products, to the Philippines.
The policy stressed that the annual global outbreaks of avian influenza could threaten global food security by disrupting the poultry industry. This disruption can restrict international trade of live birds and poultry meat, leading to price fluctuations and impacting national economies. The new policy intends to streamline poultry imports and prevent the avian influenza spread.
As per the BAI data, chicken imports accounted for 32.6% of the 1.5 billion kilograms of imported meat in 2024.
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