Officials in Alabama and Tennessee have stated that no farms near the Tennessee chicken farm that tested positive for avian influenza have shown and incidence of bird flu. According to WAFF News, sampled poultry within a six-mile radius of the affected farm have tested negative for the virus.
It was reported earlier this week that the Tennessee farm tested positive for avian influenza. More than 70,000 chickens at the farm, which was a contract grower for Tyson Foods, were euthanized.
An agriculture specialist with Alabama A&M University said smaller-scale poultry farmers need to be careful right now. Robert Spencer said unlike the larger commercial farm where the bird flu strain was detected, smaller farms and people who have backyard chickens don't have strict testing practices.
"It's the small farmer with maybe 10, 20, 40, 50 birds, they're the ones caught totally off guard with this," he said. "Now is the time to stop and think about what's going on at your farm and how that could affect other farms."
Since the discovery of the virus, several Asian nations have restricted some exports of U.S. poultry, reports CNBC. South Korea has banned imports of U.S. poultry and eggs, Japan and Taiwan have blocked poultry imports from Tennessee, and Hong Kong has restricted poultry imports from the Tennessee county.
South Korea's import ban took effect on Monday, the agriculture ministry said in a statement. Live poultry and eggs are subject to the ban, while heat-treated chicken meat and egg products can still be imported, the statement noted.
