March 9, 2006

Japan eases restrictions on French poultry products

Japan partially lifted its ban on French poultry products Wednesday, limiting the ban to products made after Feb 1, the Japanese Agriculture Ministry said.

Japan will allow imports of all poultry products made before Feb 1, Agricultural Ministry spokesman Yosuke Yamaki said in Tokyo. Japan is a major market for France, buying 10 percent of French foie gras exports.

France's first case of the H5N1 bird flu virus was found Feb 13.

Japan is among about 45 countries who have issued full or partial bans on poultry products from France where the lethal H5N1 bird flu virus infected a commercial turkey farm last month. France has been negotiating with some of those countries to limit bans to the affected region.

The Japanese decision to open the door to certain products is effective immediately, Yamaki said. The ban on products made after Feb 1 will remain in place for the time being, he added.

French consumer demand was up too, with poultry sales beginning to climb after a dive that French officials have attributed to bird flu fears. President Jacques Chirac has underscored that there is no need to fear eating cooked poultry products.

Encouraged by special promotional prices, the 30 percent drop in poultry sales was cut in half last week, to 15 percent drop, according to the Federation of Trade and Distribution.