CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has issued over the weekend a temporary ban on the movement of wild and domestic birds and other poultry products to curtail the spread of Avian Flu Virus.
The memorandum circular, which was issued by Department of Agriculture (DA) assistant secretary for livestock Enrico Garzon, said that the ban on live domestic and wild birds as well as poultry products like meat and day-old chicks is in effect until no new cases are reported within 21 days.
The 21-day period will start after the depopulation of the infected areas in San Luis town.
Earlier, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he ordered the culling of all fouls within a kilometer (0.6 mile) of six affected farms in northern Pampanga province's San Luis town.
The area has been declared a quarantine zone with a seven-kilometer surveillance area also established around the farms.
The memo stated that there will be no movement of live wild and domestic birds, as well as other poultry products from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao.
No live wild and domestic birds and poultry products will be allowed movement from Pampanga to other provinces.
“Within Luzon, the movement of fresh, frozen meat, eggs and other uncooked poultry products may be allowed provided that this is outside the 7km control area of the outbreak site in Pampanga,” Garzon said.
Transport of birds must be accompanied by shipping permit and health certificate to prove that farms where they originated are not contaminated with Avian Influenza for the past 21 days prior to shipment.
Some 37,000 birds from various farms in San Luis town died from avian influenza subtype H5, which can cause illness and deaths in both animals and humans.
Experts believe that ducks are virus carriers.
The BAI will send samples collected from the farms to the World Organization for Animal Health and the Australian Animal Health Laboratory for further testing.