Vitarich tightens control vs bird flu

MANILA, Philippines — Vitarich Corp., one of the pioneering firms in poultry and feed manufacturing in the country, is strengthening its biosecurity standards driven by the detection of the avian, virus, or bird flu, in parts of the country.

“At Vitarich Corp., we are committed to making sure our farms and facilities remain avian influenza free,”Vitarich SVP  and general manager of Poultry, Food and Feed Sales Division Reynaldo Ortega said.

The company issued the statement amid recent reports of outbreaks of the avian virus in duck and quail farms in parts of the country, which were first detected in Central Luzon.

“We recognize there are fears that the disease might extend to chickens and potentially disrupt our local food supply. As such, Vitarich has further heightened the implementation of our standards and is coordinating closely with appropriate authorities and experts,” Ortega said.

He said the company’s farms undergo the strictest monitoring, testing and enforcement of biosecurity standards regularly.

“These procedures guarantee well-sanitized and enclosed surroundings that prevent contamination and ensure a well-stocked inventory and continuous supply of fresh chickens for our country,”Ortega said.

“We take pride in the implementation of these regular stringent measures to ensure the highest freshness, cleanliness, safety, and quality of our products at all times,”he said.

Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) director Reildrin Morales earlier said the disease was first detected on Jan. 6, from a duck farm in Barangay Barangka, Baliuag, Bulacan, through routine surveillance activities implemented by Department of Agriculture-BAI as part of its early warning system.

In a recent report to the Organization for Animal Health the Philippines said outbreaks of the highly pathogenic avian influenza were also detected in Bataan, Camarines Sur, Laguna, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac.

Morales also confirmed cases of the avian virus in Sultan Kudarat and Benguet.

Last week, Agriculture Secretary William Dar called for stricter control and containment measures against avian influenza to prevent further spread and damage to the country’s poultry industry.

Dar noted that the avian influenza virus detected in the country is of subtype H5N1, which also poses a threat to humans.

“This is the very reason we have to double our efforts in controlling and containing bird flu, and we can accomplish this through cooperation,” Dar said.

The DA  earlier issued a memorandum circular regulating the movement of ducks, quails, chicken and other poultry commodities in affected areas particularly within the one-kilometer quarantine area.

The  DA-BAI is closely working with local government units,  regional field offices and other poultry industry stakeholders to ensure that biosecurity and disease control measures are implemented accordingly.

To date, DOH personnel have not detected any sign or symptom of human transmission in all outbreak areas.