June 27, 2013

 

China may ban poultry imports from Arkansas

 

 

After a recent small incidence of avian influenza among a breeder operation in Scott County, Arkansas, China announced earlier this week it would ban the imports of poultry raised in Arkansas.

 

The immediate impact for most Arkansas poultry processors is expected to be minimal, as they can fill orders from plants located outside the Natural State.

 

"We expect to continue to meet the needs of our customers in those countries with products from plants in other states," Tyson spokesman Worth Sparkman noted in an e-mail.

 

The same could be said for other Arkansas poultry companies such as OK-Foods and Simmons Foods who each have plants located in neighbouring states. That said, everyone concerned is hopeful the ban will be lifted within a few weeks as poultry exports are important to the state's economy.

 

The Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission said a chicken farm located near the community of Boles, tested positive for H7N7 low pathogenic avian influenza. The agency conducted additional testing with the USDA as it can officially confirm avian flu cases.

 

State officials quarantined poultry within a 6.2-mile radius of the infected bird's farm and said recent flooding in west-central Arkansas was conducive to the spread of the virus, as chickens can get avian flu from infected waterfowl or contaminated water. The Arkansas Health Department has said there is no public health threat for humans.

 

The cited farm provided breeder stock to Springdale-based Tyson Foods, who said the entire flock was humanly euthanized and none of its other farms have been affected from this mild strain.

 

China is the largest of the markets to impose bans and is Tyson Foods' second largest customer for poultry, logging sales of US$621 million last year. China is also seen as a little cautious when it comes to avian influenza and understandably so, given that it has been a serious issue within its own country.

 

Earlier this year another strain of bird flu -- H7N9 -- reportedly sickened 130 people in mainland China, some 36 deaths resulted. Chinese authorities shut down live poultry markets "temporarily or permanently as needed" to control the source of outbreaks in 10 provinces, Li confirmed, and standardised methods of transporting poultry to reduce spread among birds.

 

At a meeting of the World Health Organization, Health Minister Li Bin said that no new cases have been detected since early May. China estimated more than US$6.5 billion was lost within its own agriculture sector from the H7N9 incident.

 

State officials are quick to point out that there is no relationship between the H7N9 reported in China and H7N7 discovered in Arkansas, which does not affect humans.