Benguet bans poultry products from Tarlac town

MANILA, Philippines — The provincial government of Benguet has prohibited the entry of poultry and poultry products coming from Capas town in Tarlac due to bird flu.

Benguet Gov. Melchor Diclas issued the ban after receiving reports that the high mortality of layer culls for sale at an establishment in Shilan, La Trinidad was due to avian influenza (H5N1).

He said laboratory results of samples collected by the provincial veterinary office on June 27 were positive for bird flu.

Diclas said the layer culls originated from Barangay Sto. Rosario in Capas.

The ban will remain until further notice to prevent the spread of bird flu.

Diclas said if similar cases would be detected in areas other than Capas, the provincial government would implement the same measure.

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) has maintained that it has not received any official report of bird flu outbreak from local authorities in Tarlac.

It said the last officially confirmed case in the province was raecorded in December 2023.

DA spokesman Arnel de Mesa said the agency supports the BAI’s position that no new outbreak has been recorded in Tarlac.

De Mesa said it was possible that the reported poultry mortality in the area could be caused by other diseases.

He said efforts are being made to fast-track the approval of vaccines against avian influenza.

Egg supply remains stable despite the reported outbreak, De Mesa said.