THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has temporarily suspended the shipment of live domestic and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chick, eggs, semen and manure from Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao in a bid to contain further spread of avian influenza from a town in Pampanga province.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Tuesday said the government is exerting all efforts to contain the spread of the avian flu from the town of San Luis, Pampanga, which was placed under immediate quarantine issued by the DA last Thursday, August 10, when the disease was confirmed.