SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea will ban imports of U.S. poultry after a strain of H7 bird flu virus was confirmed at a U.S. chicken farm, the agriculture ministry said on Monday.

The import ban will be effective from March 6, the agriculture ministry said in a statement.

South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, has been importing eggs from the United States as its worst-ever bird flu outbreak has tightened the country’s egg supplies.