South Korea to Lift Australia Bird Flu Ban
SOUTH KOREA – Final approval is pending on South Korea’s decision to lift a two year ban on Australian chicken, imposed after the country’s avian influenza outbreak in 2013.Imports will resume in February if all departments and advisers agree on the ruling, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, reports Yonhap New Agency.
Australian shipments to South Korea have been negligible in prior years.
A ministry official said: "It has been confirmed that there have not been any additional cases of the AI epidemic nor any circulation of the pathogen in Australia, so we will allow imports of poultry, poultry products and fowls from the country."
A blanket ban on poultry and related products was imposed in late 2012, being maintained when the virus re-emerged in October 2013.