China has banned imports of poultry and poultry products from the state of Arkansas after a low-pathogenic strain of avian influenza was found in the state in June, Reuters reports.
"All poultry and poultry products shipped from the State of Arkansas on or after July 22, 2013 are ineligible for export," the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said on its web site on Tuesday.
About eight birds in a flock of 9,000 tested positive for the H7N7 low-pathogen avian flu. The flock was euthanized and buried, and the eggs they produced were destroyed. Neither the meat or the eggs would have entered the food chain. The Arkansas farm supplied birds to Tyson Foods Inc. In response, Tyson said in June it planned to step up its bio-security measures and surveillance of avian influenza and test all area breeder farms that serve the company.
The Chinese government posted an official notification on its website, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council spokesman Toby Moore told Reuters.
"As an industry we are disappointed because we hoped China would take the high road and not ban the whole state and limit the ban to the county because it was an isolated incident," Moore said.
Source: Reuters
