U.S. avian influenza outbreak under control, but trade restrictions linger

With the U.S. outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza currently under control and almost completely cleaned up, Washington animal health officials are focusing efforts on convincing trading partners to lift restrictions on imports of U.S. poultry. Nearly all of the 18 countries that imposed a ban of all U.S. poultry have kept those restrictions in place, which amounted to almost $900 million (14 percent of international trade in 2014) in lost trade, Dr. Lisa Ferguson of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services noted here at the National Chicken Council’s annual conference.  Read More