Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 3/20/15

Yet another nation has joined the growing list of nations — including Mexico and Canada — that have imposed bans covering either poultry products from specific states or a blanket ban on all American poultry.

Jamaica has imposed a ban on poultry and poultry products from Arkansas, California, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington and has restricted imports from British Columbia in Canada, according to a notice issued to poultry producers by Vetinerary Services, as reported in The (Kingston, Jamaica) Gleaner.

The ban covers poultry that is raw, chilled, fresh or frozen in addition to by-products that are not fully cooked, according to the report.

The news follows an announcement earlier this week by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that about 61,000 turkeys had been infected with low pathogenic H7N3 avian influenza on a commercial farm in Merced County, Calif.
It is California’s third case of bird flu in a commercial poultry flock, though the strains of the virus are different.

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