A shipment containing 21 tons or 19,000 kilograms of dressed chicken from Luzon was seized in Mindanao due to the existing ban on exporting poultry products outside the 7-kilometer controlled area.
Criminal charges will be filed against the importer of the shipment seized in Cagayan De Oro port, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said in a statement on Wednesday, August 16.
The chief quarantine officer in Batangas Port would also be investigated for allowing the shipment of 1,500 eggs from Pampanga and Batangas to Aklan, ABS-CBN News quoted Piñol as saying.
Fowls, eggs, and other poultry products are banned from leaving the designated quarantine area to contain the bird flu outbreak in San Luis, Pampanga and prevent the spread of the virus to other parts of the country.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and various provinces have activated their Avian flu task force to intensify measures to keep other provinces and cities bird flu-free.
