Belgium says free of bird flu in poultry

Belgium has regained its status of being free of bird flu, which will allow producers to resume poultry exports and other countries to lift trade bans, Belgian food safety authorities said on Friday.

The Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) approved Belgium's self-declaration of being free from highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (AFSCA) said in a statement.

The last outbreak of bird flu in poultry dates back to Dec. 29, it said.