China bird flu has not spread, no impact on poultry market: government

Officials from the Centre for Food Safety get a blood sample from a chicken imported from mainland China at a border checkpoint in Hong Kong. (REUTERS/Bobby Yip)

BEIJING – China's Ministry of Agriculture said on Friday the recent outbreaks of bird flu have been handled in a "timely and effective" manner without spreading and have not affected chicken products or prices.

In an emailed statement to Reuters, the government department said the situation in the world's second-largest poultry consumer was "stable".

The comments come as South Korea and neighboring countries battle outbreaks of various strains of the highly virulent flu.