BESAO, Mountain Province – To protect the local livestock industry and other related industries and to promote and protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the residents in this municipality, the sangguniang bayan here enacted Municipal Ordinance 3 s. 2008 otherwise known as Avian Influenza (AI) prevention and control ordinance.

Under this ordinance, a local AI task force is created to oversee the implementation of the provisions of this ordinance and other related activities as may be provided by rules and regulations and guidelines promulgated by higher authority or mandated by the national laws.

The task force shall be composed of the municipal mayor as the chair and the municipal vice mayor as the vice chair. Members include the municipal health officer, municipal agriculturist, ABC president, SB chair-agriculture, SB chair-health, chief-municipal police/Bureau of Jail Management and Penology/Bureau of Fire, municipal information officer, and an NGO representative with municipal-wide coverage.

The ordinance prohibits any person to offer commerce, engage in trade, or have in possession any    exotic species of poultry wildlife.

 The local government unit shall conduct a census of all livestock and poultry holding facilities. It shall assist in the implementation of additional prohibitions to safeguard against AI such as the prohibition to offer for sale and sell live chickens in the market while there is a threat of bird flu; to place chickens, ducks, and pigs in the market in the same area, cage, or pen; and prohibition on chickens to roam freely in case of bird flu outbreak.

This ordinance tasks the local veterinary/municipal agriculturist to conduct a regular information campaign particularly on the recommended bio-security and other AI preventive measures and to assist in the conduct of poultry vaccination in areas identified by the AI task force.