(Reuters) – The United States has banned the import of certain poultry and by-products from Victoria, Australia, after bird flu was detected in domestic animals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said on Friday that the May 22 restrictions will continue until further notice. Unprocessed poultry products and by-products that originate in or have passed through the state of Victoria will not be allowed to enter the United States, the department said. Imports of birds, commercial birds, ratites and hatching eggs are also banned. Pet or zoo birds can be imported with a permit and are subject to a 30-day quarantine. Bird flu in the U.S. in March spread to humans and other mammals, including dairy cattle, raising fears about possible mutations of the virus that could be transmitted between humans and start a pandemic. Victoria was also the site of the H7N7 pandemic in 2020, the most recent of nine bird flu pandemics since 1976. All were quickly controlled and terminated, according to the Australian government. (Reporting by Sehar Dareen in Bangalore)
