The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a statement on Saturday that it has tightened import restrictions on American cattle due to concerns about the avian influenza virus.

The first confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among a dairy cattle herd on March 25, and the second human infection case in two years on April 1, heightened concerns in the United States about the spread of the virus among animals and humans.

The statement said the food inspection agency strengthened the import conditions for dairy cattle from the United States starting April 29.

The agency mentioned that the import conditions for cattle from the United States now include providing negative test results for HPAI in dairy cattle and testing retail milk for any traces of the HPAI strain, as well as a voluntary test for cows that show no signs of infection with the virus.

Since 2022, avian influenza in the United States has affected more than 90 million chickens, over 9,000 wild birds, and 34 herds of dairy cattle, along with one person in Texas who had close contact with infected cattle and another person who had contact with poultry.