HAVANA: Alimport, the food importer ran by the Cuban government, stated that it would not accept chicken shipments from the U.S. during August and September.
In May, Jim Sumner, president of USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, said trade restrictions by 40 countries have already cost U.S. poultry and egg producers $600 million in the first three months of this year.
The Cuban trade restrictions would have a “moderate impact” on the U.S. poultry industry during those months. The U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council estimated that U.S. chicken exports to Cuba totaled $147.5 million in 2014, according to a Reuters report.
Avian influenza in the United States has been detected in 21 U.S. states, affecting commercial poultry flocks, backyard flocks and wild birds, according to a report at WattAgNet.com. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has estimated that the virus has affected more than 47.8 million birds in the U.S. However, few of those avian influenza cases have hit the U.S. broiler industry and instead have had a much larger impact on turkey and layer flocks, the report adds.
