Norway says its salmon did not cause virus at Beijing market

Chinese and Norwegian authorities have concluded salmon from Norway was not the source of the coronavirus found on cutting boards at a Beijing wholesale food market, Norway’s fisheries and seafood minister said on Wednesday. “We can clear away uncertainty,” Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen told a video conference.

Chinese and Norwegian officials had decided on Tuesday the source of the outbreak did not originate in fish from Norway, he added.China halted imports of European salmon after reports on Saturday that the virus was discovered on equipment used for handling fish at Beijing’s Xinfadi market, prompting supermarkets in the Chinese capital to remove salmon from their shelves.

Norwegian salmon producers saw orders from China cancelled over the weekend, although Norway’s Food Safety Authority said there was no evidence fish could be infected.

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