Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has lifted the temporary ban on the importation of domesticated and wild birds, including poultry products, from New Zealand.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) decided to lift the import freeze following the resolution of recent avian influenza (HPAI) cases in New Zealand.
Secretary Tiu Laurel signed Memorandum Order No. 62, authorizing the resumption of imports such as poultry meat, day-old chicks, table eggs, and poultry semen used for artificial insemination.
The DA initially imposed the ban in January after reports of avian influenza outbreak in New Zealand.
In his latest order, Secretary Tiu Laurel cited official reports submitted by New Zealand authorities to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), confirming that all reported HPAI cases had been resolved, with no new outbreaks recorded.
“New Zealand is now free from HPAI,” Tiu Laurel declared.
The memorandum emphasized that, based on the DA’s assessment through the Bureau of Animal Industry, the risk of contamination from importing poultry and related products is now considered negligible.
“Import transactions for the specified commodities, slaughtered or produced after the issuance of this order, may resume in accordance with existing DA rules and regulations,” the Secretary added.
