April 13, 2015
US poultry industry hit by China, South Korea import bans
More bird flu outbreaks have led to grimmer prospects for the US poultry industry as China and South Korea imposed US-wide import bans.
Concerned US authorities described the moves taken by the two countries as rather drastic. "We didn't expect China or South Korea really to take as severe, drastic action as they did," Jim Sumner, president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, was quoted by Reuters as saying.
A second outbreak of H5N2 bird flu was confirmed by the US Department of Agriculture to have hit a flock of turkeys in South Dakota. H5N2 can kill nearly an entire flock of poultry in 48 hours.
Together, China and South Korea accounted for about $428.5 million in export sales of poultry meat and products last year, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture.
Earlier, Mexico and Canada limited imports of US poultryand eggs from eight other states that had suffered from outbreaks of the same lethal strain of the avian influenza since the start of the year.