G/SPS/N/PHL/427  
 
26 October 2018  
(18-6728) 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 including game fowls  
4. Regions or countries likely to be aff ected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[ ] All trading partners  
[X] Specific regions or countries: California, United States of America  
5. Title of the notified document: Department of Agriculture Memorandum Order No. 33 
Series of 2018, Temporary Ban on the Importation of Domestic and Wild Birds Including 
Game Fowls From California, USA . Language(s): English .  Number of pages: 1 
https://members.wto.org/ crnattachments/2018/SPS/PHL/18_5637_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content: The Order bans the importation of domestic and wild birds 
including game fowls from California, United States of America. It also suspends the 
processing, evaluation of the application and issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
import clearance for the sai d commodities, as well as strictly prohibits the shipment 
and/or transshipment from all major ports within the banned state. All shipments of the 
aforementioned commodity into the Philippines will be stopped and confiscated by DA 
Veterinary Quarantine Offi cers/Inspectors at all major ports.  
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 p roblem(s) and reason for urgent action: Based on the official 
data published by the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant 
Health Inspection Service (APHIS), there have been a number of confirmed incidences of 
Virulent Newcastle Disease (VND) in Southern California (Los Angeles, San Bernardino, 
Riverside), United States of America affecting backyard exhibition chickens, and 
movement of game  fowl may cause the spread of the disease. To protect the estimated 
P100 billion Philippine poultry industry, there is a need to prevent the incursion of VND 
into the Philippines.  G/SPS/N/PHL/427  
 
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  9. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or relat ed text) :  
[X] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) : Chapter 10.9 of the Terrestrial Animal 
Health Code 2018  
[ ] 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 a vailable:    
11. Date of entry into force ( dd/mm/yy )/period of application (as applicable): 
10 October 2018  
[ ] 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@da.gov.ph  
or 
National Veterinary Quarantine Services  
Bureau of Animal Industry  
Visayas Avenue, Diliman  
Quezon City  
Tel: +(632) 920 0815  
Fax: +(632) 920 0916  
E-mail: nvqs_bai@yahoo.com  
 quarantine_bai@yahoo.com   G/SPS/N/PHL/427  
 
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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) 9 26 7439  
Fax: +(632) 928 0590  
E-mail: spspilipinas@da.gov.ph  
or 
National Veterinary Quarantine Services  
Bureau of Animal Industry  
Visayas Avenue, Diliman  
Quezon City  
Tel: +(632) 920 0815  
Fax: +(632) 920 0916  
E-mail: nvqs_bai@yahoo.com  
 quarantine_bai@yahoo. com