U.S. bird flu outbreak in poultry

(Reuters) - Dozens of countries have imposed total or partial bans on U.S. poultry and poultry imports since an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was discovered in December. Each of the top 10 importers has introduced restrictions. Total bans have been imposed by China, South Korea and Angola, whose markets were valued at nearly $700 million last year. More than 15.4 million meat-producing and egg-laying birds have been culled, and preliminary tests have identified likely cases in more than 5.5 million more birds. In the United States' largest outbreak in 1983 and 1984, 17 million birds were culled. Two bird flu strains have been found in the United States this year. The H5N2 strain has been reported in Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. It has also been identified on farms in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada. The H5N8 strain has been identified in California and also in Idaho, according to the Agriculture Department, and Canadian authorities confirmed the H5N1 strain was found in British Columbia, Canada. Following are facts about the U.S. poultry market from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association and company filings. CONFIRMED IN COMMERCIAL FLOCKS Iowa: 9,866,900 egg-laying hens, meat-producing turkeys (probable cases identified in eight additional flocks containing at least 5.6 million egg-laying hens, 19,000 breeding chickens and an undisclosed number of turkeys) Minnesota: 3,679,310 mostly turkeys, some hens (probable cases identified in three additional flocks containing more than 72,400 turkeys) Wisconsin: 1,497,500 hens and turkeys South Dakota: 285,900 turkeys California: 247,300 meat chickens and turkeys North Dakota: 111,500 turkeys and mixed poultry Arkansas: 40,020 turkeys Missouri: 29,470 turkeys TOP U.S. POULTRY PRODUCING STATES Broiler chickens in 2014 Georgia: 1.414 billion, 15.5 pct of U.S. total Alabama: 1.140 billion, 12.5 pct Arkansas: 1.029 billion, 11.3 pct North Carolina: 855 million, 9.4 pct Mississippi: 778 million, 8.5 pct U.S. total: 9.134 billion Meat-producing turkeys in 2014 Minnesota: 45 million, 19.1 pct of U.S. total Arkansas: 29 million, 12.3 pct North Carolina: 28 million, 11.9 pct Indiana: 19 million, 8.1 pct Missouri: 16 million, 6.8 pct U.S. total: 235 million Egg production in 2014 Iowa: 16.449 billion, 16.5 pct of U.S. total Ohio: 8.731 billion, 8.8 pct Indiana: 7.747 billion, 7.8 pct Pennsylvania: 7.570 billion, 7.6 pct Texas: 5.109 billion, 5.1 pct U.S. total: 99.768 billion TOP 10 U.S. POULTRY MARKETS AND THEIR IMPORT RESTRICTIONS These 10 countries together took 66 percent of the United States' total poultry exports of $5.5 billion in 2014. 1. MEXICO ($1.2 billion in U.S. imports in 2014) Mostly imports poultry meat and eggs, as well as fertilized eggs for hatching. Currently banning imports of fresh and frozen poultry and poultry products from birds originating from, slaughtered or processed in 10 affected states, including all eight states where outbreaks have occurred in commercial flocks. Exceptions for raw poultry shipped for thermal processing or heat treatment in Mexico. The country expanded the ban last week to live birds and eggs from Iowa. 2. CANADA ($589 million) Banning imports of raw poultry and products from or near affected counties in seven states and all counties in six other states. Also barring imports of certain processed products. 3. HONG KONG ($521 million) Banning imports of poultry meat and poultry meat products from birds raised, processed, slaughtered or shipped from affected counties in 13 affected states on or after specific dates. Fully cooked or heat treated products exempt. 4. CHINA ($315 million) All U.S. poultry and products banned since January 2015. 5. ANGOLA ($264 million) All U.S. poultry and products banned since January 2015. 6. RUSSIA ($150 million) All U.S. poultry and products banned since August 2014 as part of response to sanctions from the United States and Europe over Russia's annexation of Crimea. 7. CUBA ($148 million) Banning imports of poultry and poultry products from birds raised, processed, slaughtered or stored in 13 states with HPAI on or after specific dates as well as New Jersey where a strain of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) was discovered. 8. TAIWAN ($143 million) Banning imports of poultry meat and products from 13 states affected with HPAI and one with LPAI shipped on or after specific dates. 9. SOUTH KOREA ($113 million) All non-heat-treated U.S. poultry and products from birds slaughtered and processed on or after Nov. 25, 2014, are banned. The restrictions include shipments to U.S. military in South Korea. 10. GUATEMALA ($104 million) Banning imports of poultry and poultry products from birds originating from or slaughtered in affected counties in 13 affected states on or after specific dates. TOP U.S. TURKEY MEAT COMPANIES 1. Butterball: 1.3 billion pounds processed in 2013 2. Jennie-O Turkey Store : 1.25 billion pounds 3. Cargill [CARG.UL]: 1.07 billion pounds 4. Farbest Foods: 411 million pounds 5. Hillshire Brands Co : 402 million pounds TOP U.S. EGG COMPANIES 1. Cal-Maine Foods Inc : 33 million egg-laying hens in production in 2013 2. Rose Acre Farms: 22 million 3. Moark LLC: 13 million 4. Daybreak Foods: 13 million 5. Rembrandt Enterprises: 13 million TOP U.S. CHICKEN MEAT COMPANIES 1. Tyson Foods Inc : Capacity to process 40 million chickens per week. Major supplier to Wal-Mart Stores Inc . Supplied products to 130 countries in 2014. 2. Pilgrim's Pride Corp : Capacity to process more than 34.7 million birds per week. A leading supplier in Mexico. 3. Sanderson Farms Inc : processed more than 3 billion pounds of poultry products in 2014. 4. Perdue Farms: can process more than 3 billion pounds of chicken and turkey annually. TOP POULTRY BROILER MEAT EXPORTERS 1. Brazil: 3.558 million tonnes exported in 2014 2. United States: 3.313 million tonnes 3. European Union: 1.134 million tonnes 4. Thailand: 546,000 tonnes 5. Turkey: 379,000 tonnes (Reporting by Karl Plume in Chicago; Editing by Toni Reinhold and Leslie Adler)