It is the exporter's responsibility to ensure that the animal meets the importing country requirements.

As importing country requirements may change without advice to the Department you should check the importing country’s documentation carefully at the time of preparation for export.

A SPS Import Certificate/VQC from the Republic of the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture (Bureau of Animal Industry) is required and is the equivalent of an import permit.

The VQC can be obtained from:

Address

National Veterinary Quarantine Services (NVQS)
Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI)
Visayas Avenue, Diliman
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES

Phone

920-0816, 925-4343

Email

nvqsd@bai.gov.ph

Note

Where an importing country issues an import permit, the exporter must ensure the animal meets any requirements in the permit.

Health certification

I, Dr _______________________, the undersigned, a duly authorized Government Veterinary Officer certify that:

A: Australia is certified free from bee diseases as follows:

1. Australia is free from Varroa destructor, No case of Varroa jacobsoni has been reported for at least 12 months prior to the export to the Philippines within 50 kilometres of the apiary of origin. Varroosis of honey bees remains a notifiable disease in Australia
   
   The department issues certification for country freedom from V. destructor based on advice obtained from the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The department issues certification for V. jacobsoni based on declarations from the state or territory veterinary authorities of no reports of V. jacobsoni within 50km of the apiary of origin during the 12 months before export.
   
   
2. Australia is free from Tropilaelaps spp. Infestation with Tropilaelaps spp. remains a notifiable disease in Australia.
   
   The department issues certification for country freedom based on advice obtained from the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
   
   
3. Australia is free from tracheal mites (Acarapis woodi). Infestation with tracheal mites remains a notifiable disease in Australia.
   
   The department issues certification for country freedom based on advice obtained from the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

B: The apiary is certified for small hive beetle (SHB) (Aethina tumida) as follows:

1. The queen production and mating apiaries from which bees will be exported were inspected for SHB by a government apiary officer within 30 days prior to export and there was no visible evidence of SHB infestation, and
   
   The department issues certification based on a declaration from the government apiary officer who inspected the apiaries within 30 days of export.
   
   
2. All packing and shipping location(s) on the apiary premises from which the honey bee queens have been prepared for shipping to the Philippines have been inspected for SHB with negative results by Federal or State apiary inspector within 30 days prior to export.  The packing and shipping location(s) were indoors, certified to be free from SHB and certified to be inaccessible to entry by SHB at any time during packing and shipping, and
   
   The department issues certification based on a declaration from the government apiary officer who inspected the apiaries within 30 days of export.
   
   
3. A declaration (attached) has been signed by the owner/exporter providing assurances to the Federal or State apiary inspector that they have knowledge of the Philippines' import requirements and will comply with the following requirements:
   
   
1. a) All packing of the queens and attendants into cages and then into shipping boxes for export must be done in the inspected area (s).
   
2. b) All queens and attendant worker bees must be caught by hand and placed in new queen cages with ventilation holes no longer than 2 mm x 2mm or if longer than 2 mm are no wider than 1 mm. Worker bee attendants (2-6 attendants per queen) have been placed in individual queen cages with the queen and not loose in a battery box.
3. c) Queen cages filled with queens and attendants must be stored in the designated and inspected packing and shipping location(s) until shipping.
   

1. The department issues certification based on a declaration from the owner/exporter.
   

C: The apiary is certified for American foulbrood (AFB) and European foulbrood (EFB) as follows:

1. The apiary does not have any visible clinical evidence of AFB or EFB as follows:
   
   
1. a) Five percent (5%) of the colonies or a minimum of 25 bee colonies (whichever is greater) have been randomly selected and examined from each of the queen production and mating apiaries from which bees will be exported. Inspection for AFB and EFB has occurred by a Federal or State apiary inspector within 30 days prior to export, and
2. b) Brood in inspected colonies have been visually examined by a government apiary officer for evidence of AFB and EFB within 30 days prior to export and no visible evidence of AFB or EFB infection was found. At least three (3) brood frames per hive have been inspected, and
3. c) The queen production and mating apiaries from which bees will be exported are situated in the centre of an area with a radius of three (3) kilometres where there has been no outbreak of AFB or EFB during the past 30 days.

1. The department issues certification based on a declaration from the government apiary officer who inspected the apiary within 30 days of export. The department issues certification of AFB and EFB based on the declarations from state and territory veterinary authorities of no reports of AFB and EFB within 3km during the 30 days prior to export.

D: The packaging material has been disinfected and has not been in contact with any material from other apiaries

1. The department issues certification based on a declaration from the exporter.
   
   The declaration is attached to this certificate.

Pre-export preparations

There are particular requirements for packaging the honey bees for export and these need to be declared with the declaration being attached to the health certificate.

• Declaration regarding packaging – Philippines (DOCX 30KB) (PDF 126KB).

Based on health protocol agreed May 2018. Entry last reviewed 14 May 2021.