The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued a temporary ban on the import of domestic and wild birds and their products from the US following an avian virus outbreak in South Carolina.
The Philippines is seeking to import 300,000 tonnes of corn to cover a shortfall in the domestic supply caused by the El Nino dry spell and to prepare for the expected dramatic growth of local hog and poultry sectors, said Philippine Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol on May 21.
Typhoon Mangkhut cost the Philippines a total of 250,730 tonnes of paddy rice after it hit across the nation’s northern provinces over the weekend, according to initial official estimates. The figure exceeded a previous forecast by 60 percent.
The Philippine Department of Agriculture on August 24 confirmed that the avian influenza strain found in poultry farms on Luzon island was an H5N6, a virus that is transmittable to humans.