February 26, 2004

 

 

Japan Set To Resume Imports Of Thai Cooked Poultry

 

Japan may resume imports of heat-treated processed poultry from Thailand on Friday at the earliest, the Japanese farm ministry said Thursday.

 

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Japan will partially lift an import ban on poultry from Thailand if results of inspections on local food-processing plants show no problems. The results of the inspections could be available as early as Friday morning.

 

According to the ministry, Japanese experts on animal quarantine have inspected four food-processing plants in Thailand to see if the facilities clear hygienic standards specified by Japan.

 

Japan decided earlier this month to resume imports of heat-treated processed poultry, but the specific timing for the lifting of the import ban was not decided.

 

The Thai government asked Japan to inspect 25 food-processing facilities including the four now under inspection. Operations are expected to resume in such food plants as soon as they are authorized by Japanese experts as safe in light of hygiene perspectives.

 

If all 25 plants clear Japanese inspections, about 90% of heat-treated processed poultry imports from Thailand will be resumed, the ministry said.

 

Japan imported about 224,000 tons of processed poultry in fiscal 2002. Thailand was the second largest poultry supplier for Japan after China, accounting for one-third of the total imports of such products.

 

Tokyo imposed a comprehensive import ban on Thai poultry products in late January after the bird flu outbreak there.

 

Regarding imports of raw poultry from Thailand, Japan is unlikely to lift the import ban in the near future, the ministry said.

 

On poultry from China, Japan has banned imports of both raw and processed poultry from the country with no early resumption in sight.