by Rey Anthony Chiu
Bohol’s ban on the entry of fresh and frozen poultry meat, fresh eggs, live poultry, domestic and captured wild birds and fowl gets extended for yet another 83 days and also widens the source of the banned products.
By virtue of Executive Order No 15, series of 2022, Gov. Arthur Yap has effectively extended the ban on the above named products from April 8 to June 30, 2022 and included products coming from other avian influenza (avian/bird flu) affected areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.
A highly contagious viral disease affecting birds and fowl, bird flu is caused by Influenza A, and its subtype H5N1. It becomes even more dangerous because of its potential for cross contamination to humans.
It was as early as February 2022, when the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Industry Animal Disease Diagnosis and Reference Laboratory (DA-BAI ADDRL) conducted tests on affected birds, ducks and quail from farms in Bulacan and Pampanga and confirmed the presence of bird flu in Luzon.
In order to protect Bohol’s P1.8 billion poultry industry, and the potential public health issue threat, Yap issued Executive Order No. 12, series of 2022, banning the entry of fresh and frozen poultry meat, live domesticated and captured wild birds, fresh eggs, poultry products and by-products, even balut, as well as semen.
However, by March 7, 2022, the DA through Memorandum Circular No. 06 series of 2022, set guidelines in the movement of domestic and captured ornamental birds and poultry products and by-products, which now excluded the temporary suspension and transport of fresh eggs, salted eggs, quail eggs and balut eggs.
This supersedes DA Administrative Order No 6 and Memorandum Circular No 12 which was also the basis for the EO of Yap.
EO No. 15 extended the prohibition on the entry of said products from mainland Luzon, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, Davao del Sur as well as other infected areas.
Moreover, the EO also amended its preceding order by regulating the entry of processed, canned and cooked poultry products as well as embryonated eggs from above-named affected areas.
The entry of cooked or processed products may be allowed as long as the transporter presents a copy of the Food and Drug Administration’s License to Operate (FDA-LTO) of the processor and the FDA Certificate of Product Registration (CPR).
For uncooked processed products, the products must come with a shipping permit, FDA license to operate and FDA CPR.
Balut may be allowed entry into Bohol when it is already cooked, carried and stored in pulp egg trays and must be accompanied by Bureau of Animal Insustry (BAI) Duck Farm Accreditation and a copy of a negative test result for Avian Influenza, the test taken one month prior to shipment.
The products must undergo further disinfection using food grade disinfectant and subjected to random sampling to check if the transported eggs are indeed cooked.
In order to prevent possible entry of contaminants in the boxes and egg trays, these would be burned by the consignee in the presence of a barangay livestock aide and the barangay captain of the area.
A Certificate of Burning would then be accomplished and submitted to the Municipal Agriculture Office or the Provincial veterinarian.
