January 28, 2010

Japan lifts import ban on Texan poultry

Japan has lifted its ban on imports of poultry and eggs from Texas after tests were negative on a possible case of bird flu in the US state.

Imports of the products were suspended last month after preliminary tests showed a "weak positive" for bird flu in some ducks in a live bird market in Texas, said the USDA.

Final tests showed the birds did not have the flu, said Lyndsay Cole, a spokeswoman at the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Texas is the sixth largest US producer of chicken meat.

China maintains a ban on poultry from Texas and Pennsylvania, Cole said. In Pennsylvania, a case of low-pathogenic bird flu was confirmed positive in ducks at a live bird market last month, Cole said.