Japan partly lifts US, Canada poultry ban after bird flu

Chickens are seen held in a basket for sale at a wholesale market in Calcutta, India, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008. Authorities confirmed India's worst outbreak of bird flu was the virulent H5N1 virus strain Tuesday, and announced plans to slaughter 2 million birds in eastern India in a bid to contain the disease. (AP Photo/Bikas Das) (AP)

Japan's Farm Ministry on Friday partiality lifted a ban on imports of live poultry and poultry meat from the United States and Canada following an outbreak of bird flu.

Imports from the eight U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Kansas, Arkansas, Montana and Indiana, and Canadian Province of British Columbia will resume after restrictions were imposed for up to nearly nine months, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a statement.

After the latest measure, restrictions on live poultry and poultry meat still remain in place on the seven U.S. states of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska, and Canadian Province of Ontario, pending local checks by Japanese officials, a ministry official said.

Separately, a ban is imposed on imports from the U.S. state of New Jersey of live poultry and poultry meat shipped from within the 10 km (6 miles) radius of farms where low pathogenic, avian flu was discovered, the official added.