Philippines: Cebu curbs entry of pet birds, game fowl amid bird flu scare

CEBU CITY – Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia issued an order restricting the entry of game fowls and pet birds without documentation as part of the provincial government's effort to prevent Avian Influenza (AI) from infecting the local poultry industry. The provincial capitol issued Executive Order No. 26, which took effect on Tuesday, restricting also live birds, including day-old chicks, pullets, ducks, quails, and pigeons from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and other countries affected by AI. The order came to protect Cebu province’s PHP12 billion poultry industry from AI following the Department of Agriculture’s confirmation of an outbreak in March 2022. In the EO, Garcia required owners to submit a veterinary health certificate, veterinary shipping permit, AI negative result through reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, and “no AI infection” certification to be issued by the province or area of origin. Those who will bring in wild birds will be required to ...