WHEREAS, based on the final report submitted by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), to the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) last 21 September, 2004, the last case of the disease was confirmed on March 20, 2004 and final serological testing found to have no H5N1 subtype of avian influenza;

WHEREAS, cases where HPAI was confirmed on the chicken farm, all chickens and ducks in the infected farm and in the neighboring farms within a 3-km radius were culled and buried;

WHEREAS, animals epidemiologically linked and found to be at high risk were also culled as precautionary measure and eggs were buried and feed and contaminated materials were incinerated;

WHEREAS, based on the evaluation of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the risk of contamination from importing poultry and poultry products from Korea is negligible;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARTHUR C. YAP, Secretary of Agriculture, by the powers vested in me by law, do hereby lift the temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products including poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs and semen originating from Korea.

All import transactions of the above products shall be in accordance with the existing rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry and National Meat Inspection Commission (DA-BAI-NMIC).

All orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this order, are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

This ORDER shall take effect immediately

Adopted: 17 Oct. 2004


(SGD.) ARTHUR C. YAP
Secretary