Paris - Washington: Europe and the Arabs - agencies
The US government stated that the decision taken by France to vaccinate ducks against bird flu will lead to restrictions on French poultry imports starting today, Sunday, the first of October.
France will begin requiring duck vaccinations in October, making it the first country in the world to launch a nationwide vaccination campaign, according to officials at the French Ministry of Agriculture.
The US Department of Agriculture said that the United States does not allow the import of poultry from countries affected by the highly contagious HBAI strain of bird flu or from herds vaccinated against the disease.
The ministry added that vaccinated birds may not show signs of infection, which means that it is impossible to determine whether the virus is present in the herd.
France was among the countries most affected by the unprecedented global spread of bird flu, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds in the past two years, disrupted supplies of poultry meat and eggs and led to import bans.
The United States has suffered the worst outbreak of the disease, with nearly 59 million chickens, turkeys and other birds having died since 2022.
US officials tested the vaccines but did not approve their use.
John Clifford, veterinary trade policy adviser to the U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council, an industry group, said trade restrictions threaten America's imports of chicks and hatching eggs from France for the breeding sector.
He added that the United States wants information about how France monitors vaccinated herds for signs of the disease.
The United States will also impose restrictions on imports of live ducks, duck eggs and unprocessed duck products from other European countries, including those in an area known as the European Poultry Trade Area, the USDA said.
His Excellency Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, will also deliver a keynote speech on enhancing the role of the industrial sector and achieving sustainable development.