Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

The Philippines has officially lifted the temporary ban on the importation of domesticated and wild birds, including poultry products, from New Zealand, the country’s Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Monday, Azernews reports.

In a memorandum, Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel ordered the lifting of the import freeze following the resolution of recent Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cases in New Zealand.

The ban was initially imposed in January after reports of an avian influenza outbreak in New Zealand raised concerns about the safety of poultry imports.

"New Zealand is now declared free from HPAI," said Tiu Laurel, citing the DA’s comprehensive risk assessment which concluded that the likelihood of contamination from imported poultry and related products is now negligible.

"Import transactions for the specified commodities, slaughtered or produced after the issuance of this order, may resume in full compliance with existing DA rules and regulations," he added.

The resumption of imports is expected to help stabilize poultry supply in the Philippines, which had faced pressure due to previous restrictions. Industry stakeholders are optimistic that renewed trade with New Zealand will contribute to maintaining affordable prices and ensuring product availability for Filipino consumers.