Flu find hits US chicken hopes

Avian flu has been confirmed on a second Delaware poultry farm, hitting US hopes of resuming chicken exports.

The farm was not one of 20 tested in a two mile radius of the farm where the first flock tested positive last week, but was found in a commercial flock of roaster-type chickens at least five miles away.

The disease was first found on a southern Delaware county operated by an independent grower who sold to the live bird market in New York City.

State officials immediately ordered the slaughter of 12,000 birds and began testing flocks within the two mile radius of the infected site.

The discovery was sure to hurt efforts to lift bans by foreign countries on imports of US poultry.

Hours before the announcement about the second flock, China joined Poland, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea in banning US poultry imports because of the previous discovery.

Hong Kong had banned the import of live birds and poultry from Delaware only.

Russia, the single largest foreign market for US poultry, had has temporarily banned the import of most poultry products from Delaware.

US officials have said the flu strain found in Delaware is not a threat to human health because it is different from the one that has spread to the human population in Asia, killing at least 19 people.