According to ABS-CBN News, agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap ordered the lifting of the ban after an evaluation done by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that "the risk of contamination from importing poultry and poultry products from Italy is negligible."

Based on the final report submitted by Italy's Direzione Generale Sanita Veterinaria e Alimenti to the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), or World Organization for Animal Health last Sept. 21, 2006, Yap said there was no longer any evidence showing the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in that country.

The Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the OIE sets a three-month period before a country can regain its bird flu-free status after it has conducted a stamping-out campaign to eradicate birds infected with the AI virus.

Earlier, the DA also banned the entry of birds, poultry and its products from Korea, Saudi Arabia, Poland and the western African country of Benin to protect human health and the poultry industry in the Philippines , which has remained free of bird flu ever since the H5N1 strain of this virus resurfaced in Asia in 2003.

Further Reading

- You can visit the Avian Flu page by clicking here.