ILOILO – Despite the absence of avian influenza (AI) or bird flu in Western Visayas, the Iloilo provincial government, through the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO), continues monitoring live birds, poultry and poultry products.
There is still bird flu in Luzon and other parts of the country, explained PVO head Dr. Darel Tabuada.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6’s Regulatory Division chief, Dr. Jonic Natividad, earlier said they were just waiting for the official declaration from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) that Western Visayas is indeed free from bird flu.
The first bird flu case in the region was detected in Barangay Cagay, Roxas City on December 2022.
But since March this year, through weekly monitoring and blood sampling on fowls, Natividad said all the tests yielded negative results.
Tabuada added that 43 local government units (LGUs), through their municipal agriculture offices (MAOs), regularly monitor poultry farms for suspected cases of bird flu.
Once the MAOs receive a report from residents in the field, it is immediately forwarded to the PVO, and a livestock technician will collect blood samples.
The province also prepositioned PVO personnel at entry points such as the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan town and all ports of entry to ensure that live birds, poultry and poultry products without proper documents cannot enter the province.
“Based sa report, may ara gihapon kaso sa Luzon, that is why ang pagpangudal naton sa Luzon pakadto sa Iloilo in place,” added Tabuada.
The PVO chief is referring to the entry restriction as per Executive Order (EO) No. 244 of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. on the temporary ban on the entry to the province of all live domestic and wild birds and their products and by-products from bird flu-affected areas.
Under Section 1 of the EO, “There shall be a temporary ban on the entry to the province of all live domestic and wild birds and their products and by-products from mainland Luzon (Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A and 5, and Cordillera Administrative Region), Mindanao, and other areas affected by avian influenza virus, as declared by the Department of Agriculture, except 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/balut) and poultry manure/dung.”
Below are the requirements for the entry to the province of day-old chicks, hatching eggs, dressed chicken, processed and cooked poultry meat products, eggs and poultry manure/dung.
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 days quarantine at the destination
* Veterinary health certificate issued by the provincial veterinarian
* Veterinary shipping permit issued by BAI
* 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
* 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
* Veterinary shipping permit
For game fowls, broilers, native chickens, quails, day-old chicks and hatching eggs, provided that, only broilers/chickens coming from Visayas (Regions 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/local government unit (LGU) authorized personnel
* Negative AI test result 28 days from date of sample collection, provided that, the sample collection must be after Dec. 2, 2022
* Selling/retail of live broilers/chickens coming from above-mentioned declared AI affected areas shall be prohibited within the province
* 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):
* Embryonated eggs (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.
* Embryonated eggs (balut) must be immediately cooked at the destination. The PVO, BAI Regional Veterinary Quarantine Office and MAO 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 LGU veterinary office
* BAI Certificate of Poultry Farm Accreditation or Certificate of Registration/accreditation of source farm by the LGU veterinarian
* Veterinary health certificate./PN
