November 24, 2006

Japan bans South Korean poultry imports over suspected bird flu

Japan has suspended poultry imports from South Korea from Thursday after a suspected case of bird flu was found at a poultry farm in the south-west of the country, a Japanese Agriculture Ministry official said on Friday.

Japan as a rule bans poultry imports from countries where there has been an actual or reported outbreak of bird flu.

Japan imported 1,500 tonnes of fresh and processed poultry and duck meat from South Korea last year, a mere 0.2 percent of Japan's total global imports.

On Thursday, South Korea's farm ministry said it had discovered a suspected case of bird flu at the poultry farm, which could be the country's first outbreak in three years.

A South Korean ministry official said about 6,000 chickens at a farm in North Cholla province had died this week. The remaining 6,000 or so poultry at the farm would now be culled.