Philippines lifts poultry ban on two US states
Kansas stays restricted over avian flu outbreaks
16 February 2026
1 minute read
By: The Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA) lifted its temporary ban on poultry and poultry product imports from Illinois and Wisconsin, while keeping Kansas under strict restrictions due to persistent avian influenza outbreaks, according to a government-issued press release.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. ordered the move following updated animal health reports showing that Illinois and Wisconsin no longer meet the threshold for state-wide trade restrictions under a 2016 bilateral animal health agreement between the Philippines and the US. The arrangement allows a blanket ban only when three or more counties in a US state are affected by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
Veterinary surveillance data showed that previous HPAI cases in Illinois had been contained and were no longer spreading across multiple counties. Wisconsin received the same clearance after authorities determined that its avian influenza situation remained localized and manageable. Poultry imports, including meat, eggs, day-old chicks, and poultry semen, may resume subject to existing sanitary and phytosanitary regulations.
Kansas remains under a ban. According to a January 19 report from the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, several outbreaks of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza were confirmed in multiple counties across the state, breaching the agreed three-county threshold. The DA cited the rapid spread of the virus and the need to protect the local poultry industry as reasons for maintaining the restriction.
“We have to strike a careful balance,” Tiu Laurel said. “Our priority is food security, but that cannot come at the expense of public health or the safety of our local poultry population. The poultry sector represents billions in investments and supports thousands of jobs, especially in rural communities. Protecting it is non-negotiable.”
All imports of domestic and wild birds and their products from Kansas remain prohibited. Only shipments already in transit and produced on or before December 19, 2025 may enter, provided they meet documentation requirements.
