March 17, 2004

Japan's Hyogo Prefecture Lifts Poultry Restrictions

Japan's Hyogo prefectural government lifted its ban on egg and chicken shipments at midnight on Tuesday that was imposed on February 28 after bird flu was detected at a poultry slaughterhouse in Yachiyo.

The restrictions banned shipments in a 5-kilometer radius of the slaughterhouse where 15 chickens, including birds shipped from avian flu-hit Funai poultry farm in Kyoto Prefecture, tested positive for the virus.

The prefectural government had originally banned shipments in a 30-km radius of the slaughterhouse Feb. 28, but reduced the area to 5 km the following day after it decided the chickens in question were at the slaughterhouse for only a short period and the possibility would be low for further spread of the disease.

The local government had conducted tests on birds kept at farms, households and schools within the area and confirmed all fowl tested negative.

Chickens at Asada Nosan Co.'s Funai farm in the town of Tamba started dying in large numbers Feb. 20, but the farm did not notify the authorities. Kyoto prefectural government officials inspected it Feb. 27 after receiving an anonymous tip.

The highly virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu was later detected, the same strain which also caused similar outbreaks elsewhere in Japan earlier this year.