The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Friday the ban took effect on Aug. 17, the day Argentina reported the case. Shipments that departed Argentina after Aug. 3 will undergo heightened screening.
The ministry emphasized that the move is unlikely to disrupt the country’s poultry supply. Argentine imports accounted for only 0.2 percent of South Korea’s poultry consumption in 2024, according to government data.
The outbreak, involving the H5 strain of the virus, was detected in dead egg-laying hens at a farm in Buenos Aires Province, according to Argentina’s national food safety agency. It is the country’s first case since South Korea reopened its market to Argentine poultry in December.
The suspension comes as South Korea prepares to resume imports of frozen chicken from Brazil, whose poultry exports were barred after a bird flu outbreak earlier this year.
No Argentine shipments are currently awaiting clearance at South Korean ports, the ministry said, noting that enhanced testing will apply to any cargo that falls within the affected period.
“Preventing the domestic introduction of livestock diseases such as HPAI requires citizens to refrain from visiting livestock facilities during overseas travel and avoid bringing animal products into the country,” Jeong Hye-ryun, the ministry’s director-general for international cooperation, said in a statement.
reporter
Kim Dong-young
davekim0807@ajupress.com
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