EU partly lifts U.S./Canadian poultry ban

BRUSSELS, March 30 (UPI) -- The European Union partially lifted its ban on U.S. and Canadian poultry imposed after an outbreak of bird flu.

Only poultry and poultry products from Texas and part of British Columbia, where the outbreaks of avian influenza occurred, are still banned.

The EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health had banned imports of live poultry, poultry meat and products, and eggs.

The ban was imposed after bird flu outbreaks were confirmed in the United States Feb. 23 and in Canada on March 9.

"It is now timely to lift most of the import restrictions as all necessary information provided by the two countries indicate that the high pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in the two countries have been confined to a limited area," David Byrne, the EU's commissioner for health and consumer protection, said in a statement.