KUALA LUMPUR: The Philippines has temporarily banned importing chicken and its products from the Netherlands after a reported outbreak of low pathogenic avian influenza LPAI, the government said. The Department of Agriculture issued a statement on Thursday that said that the LPAI serotype H7N7 “was detected in free range laying hens in Hagestein city last August 9.” The country's quarantine officers said they would confiscate all shipments of poultry and poultry products with the exception of heat treated products from Utrecht. The last time the Philippines imposed a ban on poultry imports from the Netherlands was in June last year. The move is a precautionary measure to ensure there is no outbreak in the Southeast Asian country, department officials told Bikyamasr.com on Friday morning. “We hope the Dutch officials will use this as an opportunity to make certain that their shipments will not lead to disease,” the official said. The government banned poultry meat, wild birds and other poultry products from Gelderland following the outbreak of LPAI in that area. The Philippines has remained free from avian influenza which has spread in Southeast Asia and caused billions of losses in poultry industries in the region.
