Russia bans poultry meat from 2 US states

Russia, the top consumer of US poultry meat, has banned imports from the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania, where H5N1 bird flu virus had been discovered, the Agriculture Ministry said on Monday.
Imports of live birds, poultry meat and poultry products, as well as poultry feed and used equipment for poultry keeping and slaughtering from these states, have been suspended from September 8, a ministry statement said.
In August, Russia banned poultry imports from another US state, Michigan. Earlier this month low-pathogenic strain of H5N1 virus, which represents no threat to humans, was confirmed in wild ducks in Pennsylvania after being discovered in Maryland and Michigan.
In August, Russia threatened to restrict imports worth hundreds of milions of dollars if Washington failed to endorse Moscow's accession bid for the World Trade Organisation.