November 30, 2005

US eases restrictions on Canadian poultry imports

The USDA on Monday announced that effective immediately it is reducing restrictions placed on imports of live birds and poultry products from Canada's British Columbia after bird flu was detected in commercial ducks there on Nov 19.

Chief Veterinary Medical Officer of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) John Clifford said in a release that "because the pathogenicity of the virus was initially unknown, APHIS restricted imports (of live birds and poultry products) from all of mainland British Columbia".

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has since confirmed that the virus is one of the low pathogenic forms of bird flu, and based on that fact and information that Canada has provided on survey and eradication measures, APHIS is modifying the quarantine area to a designated 5-kilometre zone within the province.

The release said the bird flu found in mainland British Columbia poses no significant threat to human health. It was detected through ongoing surveillance efforts in Canada, much like the survey efforts that are in place in the US. It is different from the particular strain of highly pathogenic bird flu detected in Asia and parts of Eastern Europe, USDA said.

Bird flu viruses can be classified into low pathogenic and high pathogenic forms based on the severity of the illness they cause in poultry. Most bird flu strains are classified as low pathogenic bird flu and cause few clinical signs in infected birds.

"APHIS currently has an interlocking system of safeguards in place to protect the US poultry industry from avian influenza, including trade restrictions as appropriate, as well as ongoing federal state-industry surveillance, emergency preparedness and outreach programmes to ensure early detection and rapid response to any signs of the virus," USDA said.