Eggs imported from Thailand arrive in S. Korea

SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- Eggs imported from Thailand arrived in South Korea, the agriculture ministry said Monday, as the government seeks to contain rising prices amid the latest bird flu outbreak.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, 320,000 eggs imported by a local company arrived in the southeastern port city of Busan via ship Sunday.

The eggs can be distributed after going through a quarantine and sanitary inspection, which can take up to three weeks, the ministry said. Another 650,000 were scheduled to arrive in Incheon, west of Seoul, via ship Monday.

If they reach the market, it will be the first time eggs brought in from the Southeast Asian country will be sold here. Currently, eggs from six other countries -- New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain -- are imported.

South Korea imported eggs from the United States for the first time in January but stopped the process due to a bird flu breakout there.

The government has been dealing with rising egg prices since it suffered the worst avian influenza (AI) outbreak last winter, which led to the culling of more than 33 million birds. It has been grappling with another outbreak since last month.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
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