Tokyo, Feb 24: Japan will continue a ban on US poultry imports for the time being following the discovery in Texas of a bird flu strain, Japanese Farm Minister Yoshiyuki Kamei said today.
''We will continue the import ban on US poultry meat,'' Kamei told reporters in Tokyo. The United States is the fourth-largest exporter of chicken for Japan, followed by Thailand, Brazil and China, with a 10-per cent share of the total chicken imports. Earlier this month, Japan imposed the ban on all poultry imports from the United States following confirmation of chickens infected with bird flu in Delaware. But the ministry had said the ban may be eased if the bird flu in Delaware proves to be less virulent than the type afflicting Asia. The Texas Animal Health Commission said Friday a flock of chickens in Gonzales county tested positive for avian influenza, making Texas the fourth US state to be affected by the disease this year after Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Bureau Report