October 1, 2007

Japan bans Canadian chicken after bird flu outbreak

Japan has banned poultry imports from Canada after a bird flu outbreak in the North American country, the agriculture ministry said Friday (September 28).

The suspension takes effect immediately, the ministry said in a statement.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Thursday that a strain of Avian influenza that is not harmful to humans has been confirmed at a large chicken farm in Regina, Saskatchewan.

The ban is expected to have a limited impact on Japanese consumers.

In 2006, Japan imported some 60,000 young chickens and about 2,500 tonnes of processed eggs from Canada, which accounted for only 10 percent of the Japanese market, the ministry said.