December 6, 2010

South Korea halts poultry imports from Japan on bird flu

South Korea said that it suspended poultry imports from Japan after confirmation of an outbreak of avian influenza in the neighboring nation.

The ban took effect on Thursday (Dec 2), Korea's agriculture ministry said. South Korea imported 334 tonnes of Japanese poultry through October this year, which is equivalent to 0.4% of its total poultry purchases of 85,525 tonnes during the period, the statement said.

Japan said on November 30 it will cull about 20,000 chickens at a farm in the western prefecture of Shimane after the country's first case of the disease since 2009 was discovered.