Bird flu report leads S. Korea to halt imports of chicks from Germany

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Yonhap) -- Following reports of a bird flu outbreak, South Korea said Friday it has halted the import of chicks from Germany.

The halt on quarantine inspections follows reports indicating a H5N1 virulent
strain outbreak in the European country, according to the Ministry for Food,
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
"The measures are temporary and implemented as a precaution, but it will be
upgraded to an outright ban if it is confirmed to be avian influenza," a
government official said.
South Korea currently only permits the import of chicks, but prohibits grown
chickens and ducks from being brought into the country.
A local farmer imported 12,000 chicks from Germany in July, the only import this
year.
The ministry took fire for failing to contain an outbreak earlier in the year
that is estimated to have caused damages exceeding 250 billion won. It began
implementing year-round monitoring of local poultry farms, bird markets and
migratory birds following the incident.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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