The United States Animal and Plant Health Inspection agency has decided to ban poultry meat, live birds, and all poultry products from Botswana.
The US announced a ban to immediately curb the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) as it was reported on some poultry farms in that country.
As part of the ban, the announcement also confirms that poultry transiting through that country is banned, in order to prevent the introduction of the disease to US poultry farms.
In a statement announcing the ban, the agency said it had added the Southern African nation to the list of countries not allowed to export poultry products and live birds to the US, following confirmation of an outbreak of the disease.
“The US Department of Agriculture is advising the public that we have added Botswana to the list of regions affected with HPAI,” reads the statement according to Farmers Weekly.
The agency also said it had received notice of the HPAI outbreak from Botswanan veterinary officials and had thus been forced to ban poultry imports from Botswana.
“This was due to the seriousness of the disease, which required a rapid response as it was highly contagious and often fatal to chickens.,” reports the farming news portal.
Giving his opinion, researcher Dr. John Moreki who is contracted to the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said that while the African country had become self-sufficient in poultry production, the industry still many challenges.
Moreki also added that disease outbreaks were among the major challenges affecting the industry such as the outbreak of avian influenza.
“The outbreak of avian influenza in some parts of Botswana has a negative impact on the movement of poultry and poultry products,” Moreki said.
In response to the US ban, the acting deputy secretary in the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry, Gideon Mmolawa, indicated that Botswana would be “addressing the matter”.
Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, Botswana exports poultry meat to the United States of America market.
The act means Botswana gets a privilege as it is a trade preference programme providing duty-free access to the US market for qualifying exports from eligible sub-Saharan African countries.
Main Image: Chicken Farm/FarmersWeekly