U.S. trade partners are suspending some imports of U.S. chicken products in light of the country’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
As of March 8, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, and Taiwan have established, or are implementing, import bans based on the recent outbreaks of avian influenza in the country, according to official and media reports.
On March 5, an outbreak of HPAI was identified in a Tyson Foods broiler breeder flock in Lincoln County, Tennessee. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Information Service (APHIS) identified the HPAI strain as H7N9 of North American wild bird lineage. The 73,500 birds in the infected flock were depopulated and testing and surveillance for the disease near the breeder farm is ongoing.
On March 6, Wisconsin state agriculture officials confirmed a low pathogenic avian influenza outbreak, of the strain H5N2, was identified in a turkey flock in Barron County, Wisconsin. That 84,000 bird flock is being monitored and quarantined but not depopulated. A report on the outbreak was filed with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
The USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC), a non-profit organization that promotes global trade of US poultry products, released a statement calling for countries importing poultry products to take a regionalized approach to the disease rather than a national ban.
Mexico
According to a report USAPEEC issued to its members on March 7, Mexico will impose a ban on raw poultry originating from Lincoln County, due to the HPAI detection. The report said the country’s agriculture department, known by its Spanish acronym Senasica, updated its sanitary standards to include the restrictions. All products, including hatching eggs and day-old chicks, from the county are banned.
The USAPEEC report said the USDA had not yet received the official notice from Senascia on March 7.
Asian nations
According to a March 7 report from Reuters, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong are limiting imports of U.S. poultry due to the disease.
The report said South Korea will ban imports of U.S. poultry and eggs. Live poultry and shell eggs are subject to the ban, while heat-treated chicken meat and egg products can still be imported.
“Korea, which, per current protocols, banned all uncooked U.S. poultry and egg products, including hatching eggs and day-old chicks, continues to work on a regionalization plan with the U.S. that would limit any ban by Korea to the affected state, county, or a designated geographic zone around the affected farm,” USAPEEC said in a statement.
South Korea is experiencing its own worst-ever outbreak of HPAI. As food prices spiked due to massive depopulation of the Korean poultry industry, the country has allowed its first-ever U.S. egg imports.
Japan is blocking imports of poultry from Tennessee, the news report said. Hong Kong is banning imports specifically from Lincoln County, Tennessee.
A March 6 report published by Bloomberg and Reuters said Singapore suspended the import of poultry, poultry products, processed eggs and live birds from Lincoln County, Tennessee, and Barron County, Wisconsin. A March 6 report by CNA said Taiwan has banned poultry imports from Tennessee and poultry meat from Wisconsin.
South Africa
The March 7 USAPEEC notice also said South Africa will be following OIE guidelines for restricting poultry imports, meaning imports from Tennessee will be halted. The country will likely set a certification date for Feb. 9, 21 days prior to the HPAI event.
