Japan after a year lifts ban on poultry products from Philippines next month. The ban was mainly due to the fears of an outbreak of deadly bird flu in the Southeast Asian country. But now the Japanese government has lifted the ban and said that the shipments of all poultry products would commence on June 7 said the Philippine Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban. Philippines in July voluntarily halted exports of poultry products it suspected the death of the ducks due to bird flu.
The birds were found dead at a small farm in the north. But when tested the dead birds showed that they died from a much weaker flu infection. But Philippines have since remained free of the bird flu virus. WHO cautioned that there was no evidence that the virus has mutated to allow it to pass easily among people. Philippines exported 5,000-6,000 tonnes of poultry to Japan.
