Japan and Russia have lifted bans on Arkansas poultry, according to local news reports. Mississippi and Georgia also banned shipments of Arkansas poultry after a flock of breeder chickens tested positive for the H7N7 virus at a farm in Scott County.
The state finished follow-up testing of chickens in Scott County in June and found no new cases of avian flu, according to news reports. Russia and Mississippi began accepting shipments of Arkansas poultry and poultry products in early October.
The farmer was a poultry supplier for Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods Inc. The virus was first confirmed June 18 in a chicken during testing by Tyson personnel. Livestock and Poultry Commission personnel quarantined all poultry within a 6.2-mile radius of the farm, and the farmer euthanized the entire flock to stop the spread of the virus. The farm was cleaned and disinfected in July, according to 5newsonlilne. Turkey, Hong Kong and mainland China were expected to end their bans on Arkansas poultry and poultry products 90 days after the cleaning.
Arkansas is the second-leading producer of broiler chickens behind Georgia, according to US Department of Agriculture statistics.
