The number of non-EU countries that have slapped bans or restrictions on French poultry exports after an outbreak of bird flu had grown to 46, the French trade ministry said. Other major importers, notably Saudi Arabia, which imports 80,000 tonnes of poultry a year, have sharply reduced their orders, the poultry industry federation said.
The bans and restrictions reduce France's overall exports of poultry by 14 percent, and by 10 percent for live birds, the ministry said.
They account for about 33.0 percent of the country's non-EU export market for meat and 44.0 percent for live birds, the calculations showed Friday.
Foie gras sales are less affected, however, most likely because the cooking involved in their production kills bird flu.
France is the fourth-biggest poultry exporter in the world, after the United States, China and Brazil, and the biggest supplier within the European Union.
Total exports amount to 1.4 billion euros (1.7 billion dollars) per year.
The trade ministry late Friday gave the list of countries and territories curtailing or refusing French poultry imports.
They are: Angola, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chad, Congo, Colombia, Cuba, Georgia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mayotte, Mexico, Morocco, New Caledonia, Oman, Panama, Peru, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Syria, the Palestinian territories, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Vietnam and Yemen.
Last year, France exported 338,000 tonnes of poultry meat to non-EU countries and 333,000 to European countries, according to the FIA federation of bird breeders. Foie gras exports amounted to 4,000 tonnes.
According to the French customs service, 65,000 tonnes of live birds were exported in 2005.
Middle East countries buy around half French poultry meat exports -- 160,000 tonnes, with Saudi Arabia alone importing 80,000 tonnes.
The biggest importers within the European Union are Belgium, Britain, Germany and Luxembourg.
Free-trade rules within the bloc make it difficult for EU countries to impose anything but limited and very geographically specific restrictions on French imports.
The overall poultry industry in France is estimated to bring in six billion euros in revenues, and employs 65,000 people.
