Phil DA lifts ban on poultry imports from Italy

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The Department of Agriculture lifted Thursday a temporary ban on all imports of domestic and wild birds along with poultry and its products from Italy following reports that the European country tested free of avian influenza in the past 18 months.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap ordered the lifting of the ban after an evaluation done by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that "the risk of contamination from importing poultry and poultry products from Italy is negligible."

Based on the final report submitted by Italy's Direzione Generale Sanita Veterinaria e Alimenti to the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), or World Organization for Animal Health last Sept. 21, 2006, Yap said there was no longer any evidence showing the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in that country.

The Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the OIE sets a three-month period before a country can regain its bird flu-free status after it has conducted a stamping-out campaign to eradicate birds infected with the AI virus.

Earlier, the DA also banned the entry of birds, poultry and its products from Korea, Saudi Arabia, Poland and the western African country of Benin to protect human health and the poultry industry in the Philippines , which has remained free of bird flu ever since the H5N1 strain of this virus resurfaced in Asia in 2003.

The Philippines is one of only three AI-free countries in Southeast Asia. The two others are Brunei and Singapore.

Earlier, Yap had ordered the BAI to step up its implementation of border patrols, quarantine measures and other preventive steps to keep the Philippines AI-free amid the resurgence of the bird flu virus in Asia, particularly Indonesia, Myanmar and Pakistan.

Yap had directed BAI Director Davinio Catbagan to intensify the implementation of these preventive measures in airports and seaports in the cities of Davao and General Santos owing to their proximity to Indonesia , one of Asia 's bird-flu infected countries.