WattAgNet: Philippines bans Nebraska poultry over avian flu worries

Poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen originating from Dixon County, Nebraska, have been banned from the Philippines

Release Date: 2015-06-16

The Department of Agriculture of the Philippines has temporarily banned the importation of poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen originating from Dixon County, Nebraska, as a result of concerns about highly pathogenic avian influenza cases confirmed in that county.

The ban, which is the latest in a series of trade restrictions put in place over avian influenza fears, was announced by the country’s agriculture secretary, Proceso Alcala, according to a report from ABS-CBN News.

Dixon County, which is in the northeastern portion of Nebraska, has had four cases of H5N2 avian influenza confirmed by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Nearly 3.8 million birds have been affected by avian influenza in Dixon County since the virus was first detected there on May 12.

To date, avian influenza has been confirmed in 21 states. In addition to Nebraska, the states of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, California, Indiana, Nevada, Kentucky, Michigan and New Mexico.

To track confirmed cases of the North American avian influenza outbreak, see WATTAgNet's avian influenza tracker map and bookmark the avian influenza update page for news about and analysis of avian influenza.