Canada poultry banned over bird flu

Japan on Friday banned poultry imports from Canada after the bird flu virus was detected on a British Columbia farm, farm officials said.

The ban took effect immediately, said Yasuharu Okano, a Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry spokesman.

Japan imported 67 tons of chicken and chicken products from Canada in fiscal 2002, accounting for less than 1 percent of total poultry imports.

Canadian officials are testing samples of a low-risk bird flu virus to determine if the strain is one that kills almost all infected poultry. Officials said the H7 avian flu has been contained on the farm.

They said the virus does not affect humans and is different from the deadly H5N1 strain that has killed 22 people in Thailand and Vietnam and forced officials to slaughter millions of poultry.

It is not known if the Canadian virus is deadly to virtually all infected chickens. Test results to determine the exact type of flu strain will be available Friday, an Agriculture Canada official said. (The Associated Press)