Japan has banned imports of Thai chicken after Thailand reported three suspected human cases of bird flu.
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Although Thailand has not officially confirmed an outbreak of bird flu, in recent weeks several Thai farmers have said thousands of chickens there have died from the disease.
Thai senator Nirun Phitakwatchara called on Thailand’s government to admit that an outbreak of fowl cholera and bronchitis that has led to the slaughter of up to six million chickens since November is actually an outbreak of bird flu, reported Agence France Presse.
Nirun accused the government of covering up a bird flu outbreak in order to protect its poultry industry.
Japan, Thailand’s main market for poultry exports, is not waiting for official confirmation of the disease and has banned imports of Thai chicken.
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By GlobalDataThe European Union, also a major export market for Thai poultry, has said it may ban Thai chicken imports if an outbreak of bird flu in Thailand is confirmed.
“The commission is obviously monitoring the situation very closely but it has to be said that the outbreak of avian influenza in Thailand has not yet been officially confirmed,” spokesman Gregor Kreuzhuber was quoted by AFP as saying.
“In case (the disease) would be confirmed in Thailand… the commission will take immediate action,” he said, adding that a ban could be imposed in order to prevent the disease from spreading to the EU.
The current outbreak of bird flu has so far affected poultry in Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. At least five people in Vietnam are believed to have died from the disease.
