Argentina resumed poultry shipments weeks after an export ban after bird flu was detected in local industry, state security regulator Senasa said on Friday, providing access to key export markets for the top agricultural producer.

Uruguay has approved new export certificates for poultry products from Argentina, Senasa said in its statement after a meeting with WTO-ComPS health officials of the World Trade Organization in Geneva. Argentina suspended its exports in late February after recording the first case of bird flu in its poultry industry in the southern province of Rio Negro.

The regulator added that agreements had also been struck to resume shipments of fresh poultry meat from disease-free areas to Russia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Japan and some African countries. "Work is underway in health negotiations to restore exports of avian genetics to Mercosur countries and Mexico, in compliance with international recommendations for the exchange of these goods," the statement added. The South American country exported 227,000 tons of edible poultry products last year, according to data from the Department of Agriculture.

Source: Agrolink