SEOUL/CHICAGO (Reuters) — South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong have limited imports of U.S. poultry after the United States detected its first case this year of avian flu on a commercial chicken farm, South Korea’s government and a U.S. trade group said March 6.
South Korea will ban imports of U.S. poultry and eggs after a strain of H7 avian flu virus was confirmed March 5 at a chicken farm in Tennessee, South Korea’s agriculture ministry said.
Japan and Taiwan will block poultry from the state, while Hong Kong will restrict imports from the Tennessee county where the infected flock was located, said James Sumner, president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council.
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The limits will reduce the potential for major U.S. chicken companies to sell poultry overseas.
The Tennessee farm infected with avian flu was contracted to sell birds to Tyson.
South Korea’s import ban took effect March 6. Live poultry and eggs are subject to the ban, while heat-treated chicken meat and egg products can still be imported, the statement noted.
South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, has been importing eggs from the U.S. as its worst-ever avian flu outbreak tightens the country’s egg supplies.
South Korea has imported nearly 1,049 tonnes of U.S. eggs this year, according to ministry data, accounting for more than 98 percent of its total egg imports as of March 3.
Sumner said South Korea’s decision to prohibit shipments of U.S. shell eggs was disappointing. Its move to continue imports of certain processed egg products was “good because Korea’s got this terrible AI (avian flu) problem, and they were definitely in need of eggs,” he said.
Multiple outbreaks of avian influenza have been reported in poultry farms and wild flocks across Europe, Africa and Asia in recent months, something infectious disease experts put down to greater resilience of strains currently circulating rather than improved detection or reporting.
