ILOILO – To protect the province from Avian Influenza (AI) or bird flu, the provincial government set regulatory requirements or quarantine protocols on the entry of poultry and poultry products from bird flu-affected areas, including neighboring Capiz province.
On Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 7, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. issued an executive order further amending Executive Order No. 244-2022 implementing a temporary ban on the entry of domestic and captured wild (ornamental) birds, poultry products and byproducts from mainland Luzon (Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 5, and the Cordillera Administrative Region), Mindanao, Capiz and other areas affected by the Avian Influenza virus, as declared by the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Not covered by the EO are day-old chicks (day old broilers, day old pullets and day-old breeders), hatching eggs, dressed chicken, processed and cooked poultry meat products, eggs (table eggs, salted eggs, quail eggs, embryonated eggs or balut) and poultry manure/dung.
The EO added requirements to be met prior to the entry.
For day-old chicks (day old broilers, day old pullets and day old breeders):
* negative AI test result 28 days from date of sample collection, provided that the sample collection must be after Dec. 2, 2022;
* AI-free certificate issued by the Provincial Veterinarian;
* must undergo 14-day quarantine at the destination;
* Veterinary Health Certificate issued by the Provincial Veterinarian;
* Veterinary Shipping Permit issued by Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI); and
* selling/retail of day old chicks coming from the above-mentioned declared AI affected areas shall be prohibited within the province
For hatching eggs:
* negative AI test result 14 days from the date of sample collection;
* AI-free certificate issued by the Provincial Veterinarian;
* Veterinary Health Certificate issued by the Provincial Veterinarian; and
* Veterinary Shipping Permit issued by BAI
For dressed chicken, processed and cooked poultry meat products:
* Meat Inspection Certificate (MIC)/Certificate of Meat Inspection (COMI) for dressed chicken and imported poultry meat;
* Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) and License to Operate (LTO) issued by Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) for processed and cooked chicken meat; and
* Veterinary Shipping Permit
For gamefowls, broilers, native chickens, quails, day-old chicks (day-old broilers, day-old pullets and day-old breeders), and hatching eggs, provided that, only broilers/chickens coming from Visayas (Region 6, 7 and 8) shall be allowed:
* Veterinary Health Certificate signed by the Provincial Veterinarian;
* Veterinary Shipping Permit issued by the BAI;
* AI-free certificate issued by the Provincial Veterinarian;
* disinfection certificate from the port of exit/entry signed by BAI/LGU authorized personnel;
* negative AI test result 28 days from date of sample collection, provided that, the sample collection must be after 02 December 2022;
* selling/retail of live broilers/chickens coming from above-mentioned declared AI affected areas shall be prohibited within the Province; and
* live broilers/chickens shall be transported directly from farm to National Meat Inspection Services (NMIS)-accredited dressing plants for processing
For eggs (table eggs, salted eggs, quail eggs, embryonated eggs/balut):
* the balut must be cleaned by the shipper/trader at the source farm prior to departure with acetic acid/vinegar at 1:10 dilution or any food grade disinfectant;
* Prior to loading for shipment by air or sea, the closed van/vehicle containing the embryonated eggs (balut) must undergo ultraviolet light disinfection at the port of departure. The assigned Veterinary Quarantine Officer shall issue certification that the vehicle has undergone ultraviolet light disinfection.
* balut must be immediately cooked at the destination
* The Provincial Veterinary Office, BAI Regional Veterinary Quarantine Office and Municipal Agriculture Office shall monitor the compliance of the shipper/trader.
* The table eggs, salted eggs, quail eggs, and embryonated eggs (balut) must be transported in new or appropriately sanitized containers or egg trays.
For poultry manure/dung:
* AI and New Castle Disease-free certificate issued by the local government unit veterinary office;
* BAI Certificate of Poultry Farm Accreditation or Certificate of Registration/accreditation of source farm by the LGU Veterinarian; and
* Veterinary Health Certificate.
The executive order will take effect immediately./PN
