April 12, 2013

Indonesia bans China poultry imports due to bird flu

Indonesian will restrict import of poultry from China to prevent the spread of H7N9 avian flu that has killed several people in China.

"I have signed the letter banning poultry import from China into Indonesia. It's just temporary," Agriculture Minister Suswono said in Bogor, Indonesia on Thursday.

Indonesia will reopen its door for poultry imports when China is successful in dealing with the new bird flu subtype and is declared free from the virus, he said.

He believed the import ban would not affect Indonesia's poultry stocks. "It will not have a significant effect because the import from China is relatively small," he added.

The death toll and number of infections in China from the strain of bird flu first found in humans last month has ticked up daily and ten people have died from the virus.