Canada lifts avian flu-related bans affecting 4 states

The Canadian government continues to lift bans on poultry imports from U.S. states, as restrictions on poultry, eggs and poultry products from four northwestern states have been removed. The bans had been in place over concerns about avian influenza.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently lifted its restrictions on poultry from California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, citing that those states appeared to be free of the virus. The last cases of avian influenza in California, Oregon and Washington were confirmed by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in February, while the last case of avian influenza in Idaho was confirmed in January.
CFIA in August had also lifted avian influenza-related bans on poultry from Arkansas, Montana and Indiana.
Presently CFIA’s bans on U.S. poultry are limited to Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Wisconsin.
Since December 19, 2014, APHIS reported 223 confirmed cases of avian influenza in the United States, affecting more than 48 million birds. The last case confirmed by the agency was in a layer flock of Iowa in June. While there have been no confirmed cases in the U.S. for nearly three months, the poultry industry and government agencies are preparing for avian influenza’s possible return to the country in the fall.