NAFTA countries sign letter on avian flu

In a historic government/industry collaboration, the U.S., Canada and Mexico and their respective poultry and egg industries jointly announced Jan. 19 that they have entered into an arrangement to enhance collaboration on avian influenza and to work toward harmonizing procedures for responding to possible future detections of the virus. Government animal health authorities from the three countries, together with the heads of trade associations that represent the poultry and egg industries, signed a letter of understanding on avian influenza during a ceremony in Los Cabos, Mexico. “Mexico and Canada represent the lion’s share of our poultry and egg trade,” said Jim Sumner, president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC). “Together, these two markets account for more than two-thirds of all U.S. turkey exports, nearly two-thirds of our egg trade and a third of our broiler exports – an annual value of almost $2 billion. That’s about one-third of the value of all U.S. poultry and egg exports in any given year.”
Read More