Manila, March 28 -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) has imposed a temporary ban on poultry products from Turkiye after a reported outbreak of the H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the European country.

In a news release on Friday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the ban would cover domestic and wild birds and their products from Turkiye, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen used for artificial insemination.

"The import ban is a pre-emptive measure to safeguard the poultry industry, a vital sector of the economy that generates jobs and investments and plays an essential role in the government's push for food security," he said.

Turkiye's veterinary authorities said the bird flu outbre...