G/SPS/N/PHL/466  
 
20 August 2020  
(20-5698) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES  
1. Notifying Member:  PHILIPPINES  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Department of Agriculture  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable):  Domestic and wild birds and their products  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[ ] All trading partners   
[X] Specific regions or countries:  Australia  
5. Title of the notified document:  Department of Agriculture Memorandum Order No.40 
Series of 2020 Temporary Ban on the Importation of Domestic and Wild Birds and their 
Products Including Poultry Meat, Day Old Chicks, Eggs and Semen Originating from 
Australia . Language(s): English . Number of pages: One (1)  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/SPS/PHL/20_4988_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The Order bans the importation of domestic and wild birds and 
their products including poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs and semen. It also immediately 
suspends the processing and evaluation of the application and issuance of SPS import 
clearance for the said goods. All incoming poultry shipments with SPS import clear ance 
issued on or before 6 August 2020 will be allowed provided frozen poultry meat has a 
slaughter/process date of 21 days prior to the start of the HPAI outbreak (on or before 
3 July 2020).  
All shipments will be subject to veterinary quarantine rules and  regulations. Stoppage and 
confiscation of all shipments of the above -stated commodities (with the exception of heat -
treated products) into the country will be done by all DA Veterinary Quarantine 
Officers/Inspectors at all major ports of entry if the prov isions in Item 3 are not followed. 
Importation of meat products of poultry is subject to the conditions provided in 
Article  10.4.19, 10.4.20 and 10.4.26 of the OIE Animal Health Code (2019). The Order 
was signed on 14 August 2020  
7. Objective and rationale: [X]  food safety, [X]  animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reason for urgent action:  Based on the o fficial 
report submitted by Dr. Mark Schipp, Chief Veterinary Officer, Department of Agriculture, 
Water and the Environment, Australian Government, Canberra, Australia to the World 
Organisation for Animal Health on 31 July 2020, there was one (1) outbreak of H7N7 
HIghly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Lethbridge, Victoria, Australia affecting birds 
on 24 July 2020 as confirmed by the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (OIE 
Reference Laboratory).  G/SPS/N/PHL/466  
 
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  9. Is there a relevant international standard? I f so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
[X] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) : Article 10.4. 19, 10.4.20 and 10.4.26 
of the OIE Animal Health Code (2019)  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[X] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
10. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:    
11. Date of entry into force ( dd/mm/yy )/period of application (as applicable):  
Immediately . 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:   
Office of the Director  
Policy Research Service  
Department of Agriculture  
Elliptical Road, Diliman,  
Quezon City  
Tel: +(632) 926 7439  
Fax: +(632) 928 0590  
E-mail: spspilipinas@gmail.com   
Website: http://spsissuances.da.gov.ph/  
Or 
National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division  
Bureau of Animal Industry  
Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City  
Tel: +(632) 528 2250  
Email: baiquarantinephvhc@gmail.com   
 baiquarantineph@gmail.com   G/SPS/N/PHL/466  
 
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  13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Office of the Director  
Policy Research Service  
Department of Agriculture  
Elliptical Road, Diliman,  
Quezon City  
Tel: +(632) 926 7439  
Fax: +(632) 928 0590  
E-mail: spspilipinas@gmail.com   
Website: http://spsissuances.da.gov.ph/  
Or 
National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division  
Bureau of Animal Industry  
Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City  
Tel: +(632) 528 2250 
Email: baiquarantinephvhc@gmail.com   
 baiquarantineph@gmail.com