China has banned imports of poultry and poultry products from the state of Arkansas after a low-pathogenic strain of avian influenza was found in the state in June, U.S. government and industry officials said this week. “All poultry and poultry products shipped from the State of Arkansas on or after July 22, 2013 are ineligible for export,” USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service stated on its web site on Tuesday. China’s action follows similar moves by Japan and Russia. Arkansas is the second largest U.S. chicken producer behind Georgia.
In June, tests found a small number of birds in an Arkansas flock of 9,000 breeder chickens in Scott County were positive for the H7N7 low-pathogen avian flu. The flock was culled and the eggs they produced were destroyed. All birds in a 6.2-mile radius are being tested regularly. The Arkansas Farm Bureau said Wednesday that it would expect the Scott County farm involved to be cleared if no additional signs of exposure are found, but it is still up to individual countries to allow imports.
