The Philippines has imposed a ban on the import of birds and poultry products from Australia due to recent outbreaks of bird flu in the country. The outbreaks were caused by the H7N3 and H7N9 subtypes of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in Victoria, Australia. To allow existing shipments from Australia, a memorandum signed by the Philippines' Agriculture Secretary has stipulated that only domestic and wild birds slaughtered or produced before May 9 are permitted. This comes as Australia is the Philippines' fourth-largest supplier of imported chicken meat, with shipments totaling 5,365 metric tons as of April.