The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday that Argentina's poultry flocks free of the exotic Newcastle disease, paving the way for the country to eventually restart exports to the U.S. so long as strict regulations are met.
It was USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that cleared Argentina of exotic Newcastle Disease threat, but USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service must now clear Argentine poultry operations before they can begin exporting to the U.S.
Exotic Newcastle disease, according to USDA, "is a contagious, infectious, and communicable disease of birds" and the U.S. prohibits imports from any country plagued with the virus in its flocks.
Argentina's poultry exports have expanded significantly over the past couple years, but USDA officials predicted that opening trade will not "have a significant impact on U.S. poultry producers."
Argentina exported $88 million of fresh and processed poultry products during the first 11 months of 2005, according to its animal and plant inspection agency. That puts revenue from poultry exports up 85% from $48 million during the same period a year earlier. China, Russia, South Africa and Saudi Arabia were the top buyers of fresh poultry while Germany and Holland were the leading importers of processed poultry.
