The Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management has with immediate effect placed a temporary ban on the importation of all live birds, hatching eggs, and on fresh, frozen and chilled poultry meat and products, including table eggs, originating from the province of British Columbia in Canada.
According to Senior Veterinary Officer, Dr. Mark Trotman, this is following the confirmation of outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N8 in poultry farms in British Columbia.
???Personal (passenger) imports of all fresh or cooked poultry products, with the exception of fully-cooked products in hermetically sealed packages, are restricted entry from Canada as a whole, and all permits issued prior to this notice are revoked with immediate effect,??? Dr. Trotman said.
However, he stated that ???the import restrictions do not apply to commercial imports or products originating outside of British Columbia, to products originating from British Columbia that were produced prior to November 9, 2014, nor to processed poultry products and by-products that have been processed (e.g. heat treated) to ensure the destruction of the avian influenza virus???.
aisha.reid@barbados.gov.bb