Asia-wide ban on chicken imports urged

The broiler industry is urging the Department of Agriculture (DA) to impose an Asia-wide ban on the importation of chicken to prevent an outbreak of the highly-contagious bird flu or avian influenza.

"A regionwide ban on chicken imports would be the best way to prevent the bird flu outbreak from infiltrating the country’s poultry flock," said Rita Imelda Palabyab, president of The Philippine Association of Broiler Integrators (PABI).

PABI members include San Miguel Foods Inc, Swift Foods Inc., Tyson Agro-Ventures, Universal Robina and Vitarich.

Palabyab said the ban should be expanded to cover the entire region because some countries could already have the bird flu but are not reporting it to the World Health Organization.

Palabyab said that in Thailand, there is no reported case of bird flu but there is an outbreak of bird cholera that afflicted hundreds of thousands of chickens. More than 200,000 chickens have died of cholera and bronchitis.

In Indonesia, the country’s poultry farms have been hit by Newcastle disease.

Newcastle disease, while it could be just as deadly to poultry flock like the bird flu, is not fatal to humans. The United States Department of Agriculture described Newcastle disease as a contagious and fatal viral disease affecting all species of birds.

It is probably one of the most infectious diseases of poultry. It is so virulent that many birds die without showing any clinical signs. A death rate of almost 100 percent can occur in unvaccinated poultry flocks. An infected bird may exhibit following signs: respiratory, sneezing, gasping for air, nasal discharge, coughing, watery diarrhea, nervous depression, muscular tremors, drooping wings, twisting of head and neck, circling, complete paralysis, drop in egg production, production of thin-shelled eggs, swelling of tissues around eyes and neck, sudden death.

It is transmitted through discharge or droppings, and secretions from the nose, mouth and eyes. The virus-bearing material can be picked up on shoes and clothing and is carried from an infected flock to a healthy one.

Through the recommendation of the DA, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) had imposed a temporary ban on chicken and other fowls from Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, and is already considering including Thailand in its ban.

Avian flu has killed millions of chicken in these afflicted countries. WHO has so far confirmed three deaths in Vietnam and the United Nations body is also conducting other tests to determine whether bird flu was to blame for other deaths.

The current outbreak that is emerging across Asia has caused deep concern in the region, especially importing countries like the Philippines.

The same virus strain leapt the species barrier to humands during a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong, killing six people and forcing repeated culls of the territory’s poultry livestock.

In the Philippines, Agriculture Secretary Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. issued memorandum order 33 which aside from prohibiting the ban on imported chicken, also includes all fowls, including, ducks, quails and petr birds such as lovebirds.