040923 EU Lifts Import Bans on Canadian Poultry

Vancouver, BC - The European Union has lifted import bans on Canadian poultry that were imposed after an outbreak of bird flu in the western province of British Columbia, officials said on Friday.

The European Union, which had already reduced the ban to birds from the area of the outbreak, told Canada that the last of the restrictions was lifted on Friday, according to trade and agriculture officials.

"We plan to stay extremely active in our efforts to have other trading partners remove the remaining restrictions in the weeks ahead," Canadian Trade Minister Jim Peterson said in comments released by aides.

Japan lifted its ban on Sept. 17, and the United States did so on Aug. 18 -- the day the outbreak was declared officially over by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Canada's bird flu outbreak began at a farm near Abbotsford, British Columbia, and eventually forced officials to order the destruction of 16 million chickens, turkeys and other poultry in the Fraser River Valley region east of Vancouver.

The outbreak -- the worst in Canadian history -- began as a low pathogenic form of the virus but mutated into a high-pathogenic, or more severe, form.

The strain of flu was different than the strain that caused human deaths this year in Asia, and the Canadian outbreak did not cause any serious human illnesses.

Ottawa said it contacted all its major trading partners in August with request to ease trade restrictions. Among the countries that had total or partial bans as of mid-September were China, India, Mexico, Russia and Iceland.

Canada exported just over C$294 million ($233 million) in poultry products in 2003, but imported nearly C$480 million, according to Agriculture Canada.

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