HONG KONG: South Korean poultry farms will be able to export chickens to Hong Kong, one year after sales were banned due to a widespread outbreak of avian influenza (AI), the agriculture ministry here said Tuesday. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Hong Kong notified Seoul of its decision to lift the import ban on Korean chickens and eggs after the two sides agreed on quarantine measures last week.
Hong Kong suspended chicken imports after the highly pathogenic AI swept across South Korea last winter, which led to the culling of more than 33 million birds. The latest decision comes after Seoul acquired the AI clean status Oct. 13 and notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that it was free of the contagious disease.
