According to The China Post, the Philippines' Department of Agriculture said that at least one chicken farm, in Liujia, Tainan, had reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

As a result, poultry and related products and wild birds from Taiwan will now be banned from entering the Philippines, department officials said.

The officials said the Philippines is one of only a few Asian countries that are “avian flu-free,” and they hope to maintain that edge to create more commercial opportunities for their country's poultry industry, which grew by 4.34 per cent last year.