Temporary Ban on the Importation of Domestic and Wild Birds and Their Products Including Poultry Meat, Day Old Chicks, Eggs and Semen Originating from Frodsham, England, United Kingdom

November 18, 2020

DA MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 63-20

 

WHEREAS, Sections 6 and 7 (2) and (4) of Executive Order No. 292 provides the authority and responsibility for the exercise of the mandate of the Department and for the discharge of its powers and functions shall be vested in the Secretary, who shall have supervision and control of the Department, to establish the policies and standards for the operation of the Department pursuant to the approved programs of government and promulgate administrative issuances necessary for the efficient administration of the offices under the Secretary and the proper execution of the laws relative thereto; HTcADC

WHEREAS, Section 1770 of Act No. 2711 (Revised Administrative Code of 1917) which was adopted by incorporation together with Sections 1761-1769, in Section 5 of Act 3639 (Charter of BAI) empowers the Department Head to issue a general order preventing the entry of animals, animal effects, parts or products from any country with dangerous communicable animal disease;

WHEREAS, based on the official report submitted by Dr. Christine Middlemiss, Chief Veterinary Officer, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, London, United Kingdom to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on November 2, 2020, that there was an outbreak of H5N8 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus in Frodsham, England affecting broiler breeder rearing birds as confirmed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge;

WHEREAS, there is a need to prevent the entry of HPAI virus to protect the health of the local poultry population;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM D. DAR, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, by the powers vested in me by law, do hereby institute the following emergency measures for the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products from Frodsham, England, United Kingdom:

1. Banning the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs, and semen;

2. Immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) import clearance to the above-stated commodities;

3. All incoming poultry meat shipments with SPS import clearance issued on or before November 9, 2020 will be allowed provided that frozen poultry meat has a slaughter/process date of 21 days prior to the start of the HPAI outbreak (on or before October 3, 2020). All shipments will be subject to veterinary quarantine rules and regulations.

4. Stoppage and confiscation of all shipments of the above stated commodities (with the exception on heat treated products) into the country by all Veterinary Quarantine Officers/Inspectors at all major ports of entry if the provisions written in Item 3 are not followed.

5. Importation of meat products of poultry is subject to the conditions provided in Articles 10.4.19, 10.4.20 and 10.4.26 of OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2019). 1

This ORDER shall take effect immediately and shall remain enforced unless revoked in writing. All orders inconsistent herewith are deemed revoked.

Done this 18th day of November 2020.

(SGD.) WILLIAM D. DAR, Ph.D.Secretary

Footnotes

1. Heat treated products are acceptable following chapter 10.4 of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2019) provided that in addition to the Veterinary Health Certificate, the Competent Authority will include in the certification of the following:

 • Temperature and the duration of heating or pasteurization of products; and

 • There is no commingling of raw materials with any other materials of animal origin.