DA lifts poultry import ban on Albania, Indiana

The Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Philippines has lifted its temporary import ban on poultry, including domestic and wild birds and their products, from Albania and the US state of Indiana. This decision comes after both regions resolved their respective outbreaks of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu.

The DA announced this change via Department Circular (DC) 48, stating that the importation of poultry and related products is now permitted from Indiana. They noted that all affected counties in the US state have ended the outbreak, with no new cases reported since.

The US and the Philippines have a regionalization arrangement for HPAI, which permits poultry imports only from areas not currently experiencing the disease. Under this agreement, a state-wide ban is only reinstated if three or more counties are affected by bird flu.

Additionally, the DA has also removed its temporary ban on poultry and wild bird imports from Albania. This move was confirmed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), which reported that all HPAI cases in Albania had ended with resolved status, and no new outbreaks have been documented since.

The DA concluded that the risk of contamination from imported live poultry and its products is minimal based on this evaluation. Previously, the agency had imposed a temporary ban on poultry and its products from both Indiana and Albania under DC 10 and DA Memorandum Order 13.