(File photo)
MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday said the government has delayed the release of around 400 gamefowl imported from the United States earlier this week to check them for avian influenza or bird flu.
In a statement, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) decided to temporarily hold the animals, commonly used for cockfighting, as a precautionary measure.
“We're just being extra careful and vigilant in protecting our poultry industry, not to mention the fast-growing gamefowl breeding sector,” he said.
The imported breeding stocks came from California and were shipped via a courier from Atlanta, Georgia.
According to the DA, this is one of the two states in the US from which the importation of birds is banned due to an outbreak of H5N1, an avian influenza strain.
“The spread of avian influenza from imported birds could immensely damage our poultry sector and could wipe out billions of pesos in investments, endanger thousands of jobs, and potentially undermine our food security,” Tiu Laurel said.
The BAI said it had already tested 30 heads of gamefowl through random sampling to check for a negative result before discharge.
The courier, however, claimed that it had secured all necessary permits from the BAI and the US government.
In January, the DA banned the importation of domesticated and wild birds, which include poultry meat, eggs, and other products from California and Ohio. (PNA)
