November 5, 2020

Taiwan imposes ban on UK poultry imports because of bird flu

Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (COA) said the United Kingdom has removed from its list of countries free from avian influenza virus and imposed a ban on live poultry imports from the UK after a bird flu outbreak was detected at a British poultry farm, Focus Taiwan reported.

The COA's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) said in statement that H5N8 avian influenza was detected at a Frodsham, Cheshire farm, with all 13,500 broiler chickens there to be culled. BAPHIQ citied a report from the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

BAPHIQ said it has removed the UK from its list of countries that are free from bird flu, and implemented a ban on live poultry and hatching eggs from the UK to prevent the spread of the virus.

BAPHIQ said statistics showed Taiwan imported 79 live poultry and birds from the UK since 2018.

-      Reuters