THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted the temporary ban on imported domestic and wild birds and their products from Argentina.
The order was signed by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on June 1 through Department Circular 29, series of 2026.
The ban was imposed in March through Department Circular 13, series of 2026, following reports from Argentina’s veterinary authorities to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) of an outbreak of untyped or partially typed high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, affecting domestic birds in General Paz, Buenos Aires, on Feb. 19.
The ban was lifted after all reported cases have ended with resolved status, and no additional outbreaks have occurred. Argentina is now free from bird flu based on Chapter 10.4 of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
Based on the DA’s evaluation, the risk of contamination from importing live poultry, poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen is negligible.
All import transactions for these commodities may now continue in accordance with DA rules and regulations, provided the domestic and wild birds were slaughtered or produced after the issuance of the circular.
The circular takes effect 15 days after its publication on the DA website and filing with the Office of the National Administrative Register at the University of the Philippines Law Center, Diliman, Quezon City.
