Government has re-instituted the ban on imported poultry and poultry products from the United Kingdom (UK).  This comes in the wake of another outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza there.

According to Senior Veterinary Officer, Dr. Mark Trotman, “Avian Influenza is a disease of birds and this ban is in effect to protect the poultry industry of Barbados.

“There will also be increased surveillance by quarantine staff at the ports of entry and the Veterinary Services Laboratory is intensifying its ongoing testing for Avian Influenza on farms, slaughter houses and in migratory birds,” he added.

The ban, which will be in place indefinitely, includes all avian species; for example, pet birds, originating from the UK.

In February of this year, a similar ban was enforced as a result of an Avian Influenza outbreak in the UK, and it was subsequently lifted in July.

Avian influenza – or bird flu as it is commonly known – is largely a veterinary disease not likely to spread to human beings under normal conditions. The viral disease occurs in two strains – the low pathogenic and the highly pathogenic forms.

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