South Korea plans to resume importing chickens from North America as no new outbreaks of bird flu have been reported in the region in recent months, the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has announced.
The ministry said it took both the United States and Canada off its import ban list and that imports are expected to resume in a few weeks. The ban went into effect in December 2014.
U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) President Jim Sumner told Meatingplace the council has been advised of the ministry decision, but he cautioned there are still technical issues to be resolved before U.S. chicken exports actually begin again. “USAPEEC and our government are awaiting further information. As they say, the devil is in the details,” Sumner said.
Last year, South Korea imported 66,780 tons of chicken meat from the United States, accounting for 53.8 percent of all imports that stood at 124,089 tons.
