THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has declared Batangas as free from type H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), or bird flu.
The all-clear was issued via a memorandum circular signed by Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban on June 16.
The province had one confirmed HPAI outbreak detected in Barangay Sabang, Ibaan on Dec. 14 following RT-PCR testing, affecting chickens and ducks.
According to the DA, the Batangas government and Ibaan municipality worked with DA Regional Field Office IV-A and the Bureau of Animal Industry to depopulate, clean, and disinfect the affected area, while conducting surveillance around nearby farms.
“Continued disease monitoring and surveillance in the 1-km and 7-km surveillance zones surrounding the affected farms yielded negative test results for influenza type A virus,” the DA said.
According to the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Heath, a country or zone may be declared AI-free 28 days after the completion of depopulation, disinfection of the last affected establishment, and no signs of infection observed after surveillance.
According to the DA, more than 90 days have elapsed since the end of the cleaning and disinfection stage with negative results on all tests.
The province was the fifth-leading producer of chicken in 2022 at 98.81 thousand metric tons, accounting for 5.28% of national production, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The DA also declared Ilocos Sur, Rizal province, Quezon province and South Cotabato free of bird flu earlier this year. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera