September 28, 2007

US bans live birds, poultry products from Canada's Saskatchewan province

The US is banning all live birds and unprocessed poultry products from the Canadian province of Saskatchewan after a form of highly pathogenic bird flu was discovered there, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Thursday (September 27).

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said earlier Thursday it had quarantined a Saskatchewan farm after detecting the H7N3 strain of the bird disease. Although highly virulent, this is not the "Asian" H5N1 strain of bird flu that has spread through Asia, Europe and Africa and killed humans.

Canada is the largest foreign supplier of poultry to the US, but none of that trade has come from Saskatchewan since 2005, USDA Chief Veterinarian John Clifford said Thursday.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency "is beginning depopulation of the infected flock and initiating thorough surveillance in the surrounding area," Clifford said. "Canadian officials have assured us they will continue to provide us with detailed information on the epidemiological investigation and surveillance reports."