Binay raises alarm on biosecurity amid bird flu outbreak

Chickens. AFP FILE PHOTO

Senator Nancy Binay on Monday urged local government units (LGUs), poultry and gamefowl farm owners to implement biosecurity measures in light of a bird flu outbreak in Pampanga.

“Nananawagan po ako sa mga LGUs, pati na rin sa mga may-ari at trabahador ng mga poultry at gamefowl farms, na pairalin ang biosecurity measures at farm hygiene upang mapigilan ang pagkalat ng bird flu sa kanilang mga nasasakupan at alaga,” Binay said in a statement.

(I am calling on the LGUs and poultry and gamefowl farm owners to implement biosecurity measures and farm hygiene to prevent spread of bird flu in their area.)

“This will also prevent the possible transmission of bird flu from poultry to humans,” she added.

Biosecurity measures are management practices to reduce the potential of introducing and spreading of disease-causing organisms into and between sites, Binay said.

These include isolation of infected birds, sanitation and disinfection of facilities and people and controlling traffic of people and flocks in and out of the farm, she added.

The senator also called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to review existing biosecurity plans, especially the records and documentation of poultry farms.

“I also call on the DA and the local veterinary offices to start rolling out, as well as planning and reviewing, their contingency plans,” Binay said.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol revealed on Friday an outbreak of the avian influenza Type A subtype H5 in a poultry farm in Barangay San Agustin in San Luis, Pampanga.

READ: Gov’t monitoring poultry products after Pampanga bird flu outbreak

Following this, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) facilitated the culling of 16,700 fowls to prevent the spread of the virus.

Malacañang also assured the public that it is closely monitoring the quality and price of poultry products in the markets.

“While we assure the public that there would be no price increase in chicken meat as there is only one area affected by the avian flu, we must see to it that uncontaminated meat is sold in the markets,” Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abel said in a statement on Sunday. CBB