May 11, 2004

Japan Worried Thai Onions Could Contain Bird Flu Virus
 

Japan has demanded Thai onions be certified free of bird flu when they are exported to the country, Thai deputy agriculture minister Newin Chidchob said today.

"The bird flu jitters are widespread, hurting even onions, of which we export about 7,000 to 8,000 tonnes to Japan," he told reporters, "They have asked for food safety certification out of concern that chicken manure is used here as fertiliser."

Thai livestock officials had been instructed to gather samples for onions to ensure that they were not contaminated with the avian flu virus. The bird flu outbreak, which ravaged Thailand's big poultry industry, has killed seven Thais since it erupted in January.

Japan, the biggest buyer of Thai chickens, banned imports of Thai frozen chicken products due to the outbreak. However the country said last week that it would resume imports of cooked chicken products from four inspected Thai plants.

Newin said he expected another 21 Thai meat-processing plants to benefit soon from the Japanese import relaxation.