SEOUL – South Korea has halted imports from a U.S. packer after finding it had allegedly shipped spoiled meat, the country’s quarantine agency said Monday.

The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service reportedly said that a slaughterhouse for Swift Beef Co., Est 969, faced sanctions after spoiled beef was found in three shipments sent since November. A total of 2,466 tons of beef has reportedly been imported from the packinghouse since July.

According to quarantine rules between South Korea and the United States, Seoul can suspend imports until corrective measures are taken if spoiled shipments from the same factory are found twice.

"Some of the shipments were suspected to have gone bad because the temperature was not properly maintained in the import process," an official of the ministry told local media.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

HONG KONG – Authorities in a Chinese province said Tuesday that 377,000 chickens were culled after samples tested positive for the H5N1 strain of avian flu.

The Agriculture Ministry of Jiangsu Province reportedly said it had received reports this week about infection in Dongtai city and nearby Hai'an county.

Reports said that all poultry and poultry products in the two areas have been isolated and restricted from trade, and the area near the chicken farms in question has been sterilized.

About 80,000 chickens were reportedly slaughtered in Hong Kong last week after the government confirmed that samples tested positive for H5N1.

Source: Japan Economic Newswire