The Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Philippines has implemented a temporary ban on the importation of poultry products from Ohio and California in the United States due to avian influenza (bird flu) outbreaks. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. issued a memorandum order, stating that restricting the entry of domestic and wild birds, as well as their products, from the affected states is necessary to prevent the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), particularly the H5N1 subtype. The ban covers poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen. The move comes in response to reports submitted by the United States Department of Agriculture to the World Organization for Animal Health in December 2023, confirming outbreaks of bird flu in California and Ohio. The import restrictions will remain in place until further notice, with the processing, evaluation, and issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances suspended. Shipments already in transit and produced 14 days before the first bird flu outbreak in the affected localities will be allowed. The Philippines imported 149.46 million kilograms of poultry meat from the US from January to November 2023, accounting for 37.9% of total poultry imports last year. In terms of overall meat imports, the US was the country's second-largest supplier, delivering about 203.48 million kilograms.