USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories has confirmed H5N1 - presumably low pathogenic - from a live bird market in New York, according to the National Chicken Council (NCC).

According to USDA's agreement with Taiwan, FSIS has been notified to amend the FSIS Export Library to state that the export of poultry meat and meat products from the State of New York to Taiwan is prohibited effective immediately.

This is also the situation for Japan. Japan's avian influenza bans cover product produced from birds from farms in the banned state, as well as from birds slaughtered or eggs laid in the state; product processed in the state; and product that was stored in or transited the state, except after final packaging for FSIS meat products and after official sealing for table shell eggs.

Japan has agreed to exempt product from poultry slaughtered (or eggs laid) and shipped out of (or packaged with final packaging for FSIS meat products or officially sealed for table shell eggs) New York prior to 12 December 2012. Combined with previous 'ineligible dates' from other bans, this means that the following dates are now ineligible for Japan (from New York):

• products produced prior to 22 February 2008
• product produced on or after 11 April 2008 but before 15 January 2009
• product produced on or after 11 February 2009 but before 25 December 2009
• product produced on or after 20 December 2011 but before 31 August 2012, and
• product produced on or after 12 December 2012.

Further Reading You can visit the Avian Flu page by clicking here.