THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted its temporary ban on poultry imports from Japan after veterinary authorities declared it free of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) or bird flu.
The lifting covers domestic and wild birds, including day-old chicks and hatching eggs, the DA said on Thursday.
Department Circular 40, signed by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., repealed the emergency restrictions imposed under Memorandum Order 72, Series of 2025.
The ban was imposed in November last year after an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of HPAI was detected among domestic birds in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, in October 2025.
HPAI is a highly contagious viral disease that affects wild and domestic birds, and can cause severe illness and high mortality among poultry.
The DA lifted the restrictions after Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries confirmed that the outbreak had been resolved, and no additional cases had been detected.
The World Organization for Animal Health has also recognized Japan as free from avian influenza under its animal health standards.
Tiu Laurel said the decision reflects the DA’s science-based approach to balancing food security with the need to protect the country’s poultry industry.
“We will never compromise the health of our poultry industry, but we also recognize the importance of keeping reliable supply channels open when science tells us the risk has been effectively eliminated,” he said.
The DA’s risk assessment found that the likelihood of disease transmission through imports from Japan is now negligible, allowing poultry trade to resume.
The agency said reopening the market is important for the domestic poultry industry because Japan supplies breeding stock and hatching eggs used to support local production and improve flock genetics.
Resuming imports could also help ease supply constraints among commercial producers.
However, lifting the ban does not mean biosecurity measures will be relaxed, the DA said. Veterinary inspections, quarantine protocols and other import requirements will remain in place to prevent the entry of animal diseases.
The order takes effect 15 days after its publication on the DA’s official website and completion of its filing with the Office of the National Administrative Register.