The United States and Japan have imposed a temporary ban on poultry imports from Canada after avian influenza was detected in a duck in British Columbia.
The ban from Japan was confirmed by an official from the Ministry of Agriculture today, November 22, while the U.S. ban was announced yesterday, also by the Department of Agriculture. Authorities in Taiwan and Hong Kong have also indicated they will take similar actions.
Japan regularly imports half of its poultry from countries that have reported cases of avian influenza. Last year, Japan imported 84 tons of poultry from Canada. Japan’s chicken consumption reached 1.62 million tons in the 2004/2005 fiscal year, of which 371,000 tons were imported from other countries.
These bans were enacted after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported over the weekend that test results confirmed a domesticated duck in British Columbia had avian influenza. Following this, authorities stated they would cull approximately 60,000 birds to prevent the spread of the disease.
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Geese in Canada. The government has announced it will cull approximately 60,000 birds to prevent the disease from spreading. |
T.VY (According to AP, Reuters)
