WHEREAS, based on the Veterinary Certification report submitted by the Federal Veterinary Office (FVO) of Switzerland dated 12 December 2010, the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office confirms that Switzerland is officially free of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A;

WHEREAS, measures were taken in line with the Swiss and European Union legislation and that no further outbreak of HPAI occurred in Switzerland since 2008;

WHEREAS, Switzerland regained its status in accordance with Article 10.4.3 of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2010);

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

NOW, THEREFORE, I, PROCESO J. ALCALA, Secretary of the Department 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 Switzerland.

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 Service (DA-BAI-NMIS).

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orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this order, are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.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: 6 January 2011


(SGD.) PROCESO J. ALCALA
Secretary