Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 12/22/14


South Korea, a major market for U.S. poultry, has banned all U.S. poultry imports for 21 days after H5N8 avian influenza was confirmed among a backyard flock in Winston, Ore. Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan imposed narrower bans, Jim Sumner, president of USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, confirmed to Meatingplace.

The South Korean Agriculture Ministry set the temporary ban over the weekend on all U.S. poultry for 21 days as Korea is trying to manage its own bird flu outbreak, which has also affected 18 countries this year alone. South Korea imported more than 63,000 metric tons of poultry meat from United States in the first 11 months of 2014, Reuters reported.  

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety imposed a specific ban covering poultry imports from Douglas County, Oregon, where the outbreak among a small backyard flock with exposure to wild birds was discovered. Hong Kong imported about 220,000 tons of frozen poultry meat from the United States between January and October, according to the Shanghai Daily.

Sumner said Oregon is not a poultry exporting state.  

Singapore has suspended imports of poultry and poultry products from Oregon, excluding heat-treated, processed poultry. Singapore’s Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority plans to monitor developments as the situation develops on the West Coast, according to Channel NewsAsia.

Sumner said Japan, also battling its own outbreak, has banned poultry imports from Oregon.

“To our knowledge, [no chicken] is exported out of Oregon, so that would make it a non-issue if there are no further findings," said Sumner.

U.S. officials have stressed that no commercial birds have been affected by the avian flu outbreak anywhere in the United States so far and USDA and Oregon officials continue to monitor the situation.

Sumner said he does not believe that banning all U.S. poultry shipped to South Korea was justified.
“We are hopeful once discussions take place with the proper people, this will get confined to the state,” he said. 

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