In his final act as Secretary of Agriculture, William Dar on Thursday lifted the import ban on poultry products from Belgium. Dar took the move after world authorities declared the European country free of bird flu.
In a memorandum order issued on June 30, 2022, Dar said that he was lifting the ban based on the final report submitted to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) by Belgian veterinaryauthorities, declaring Belgium free of bird flu or highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
“Based on the evaluation of the Department of Agriculture, the risk of contamination from importing poultry meat, day old chicks, and semen is negligible,” Dar said.
“All import transactions of the above-stated bird species shall be in accordance with existing rules and regulations of the DA,” the memorandum stated.
The DA banned the importation of poultry products from Belgium in December 2021 after the European nation confirmed the local outbreak of HPAI.