Sulawesi Utara Quarantine Office and Ditpolairud Destroy Hundreds of Chickens from the Philippines

Manado (ANTARA) - The Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Agency (BKHIT) of North Sulawesi, under the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin), together with the Director of Water Police of the North Sulawesi Police, have destroyed 102 illegal chickens originating from the Philippines.

“This commodity is the result of a seizure by the DIT Narkoba of the North Sulawesi Police during monitoring at Kima Bajo Beach on 11 April 2026,” said the Head of Quarantine for North Sulawesi, Agus Mugiyanto, in Manado on Wednesday.

Agus Mugiyanto explained that the Philippines still holds red zone status for high-level bird flu outbreaks (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza/HPAI) according to the World Organisation for Animal Health/OIE, making the illegal import of chickens from that country highly susceptible to disease transmission.

“These smuggled poultry entered without quarantine documents from their country of origin, so their health condition is not guaranteed. In accordance with the procedures of Law No. 21 of 2019 on Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine, these poultry must be destroyed to protect and safeguard the health of local livestock,” Agus clarified.

In line with Circular Letter No. 12426/KR.120/K/04/2022 from the Head of the Agricultural Quarantine Agency on Enhancing Vigilance Against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Incidents in the Philippines, Indonesia has closed access for importing poultry from the Philippines to protect the local farming industry and public health from bird flu outbreak threats.

“Once this virus enters Indonesia through illegal channels, the economy of our farmers could collapse,” he added.

The destruction process was carried out with strict biosecurity standards, applying animal welfare principles.

The chickens were first slaughtered, then burned, and the residue was buried at a safe location, covered with disinfectant solution.

“This multi-layered approach is taken to ensure there is no risk of disease spread, and we guarantee that this process will not pollute the surrounding environment,” Agus concluded.

“The three perpetrators are foreign nationals (WNA) from the Philippines. The suspects involved in the smuggling are currently secured and detained by the authorities for legal processing,” he added.