Market traders in the northwestern border town of Dajabon are warning that they will bring the town to a standstill for a week if the Haitian government maintains its ban on chicken and egg imports from the Dominican Republic. Local traders association president Freddy Morillo said that his members were considering the next steps to take and that they might shut down the city’s market for a week, since the international markets benefit both countries and there are no reasons for such a ban.
On Monday 17 June the market was reduced to a bare minimum of activity and the border between Dajabon and the neighboring Haitian town of Ouanaminthe was closed until late in the afternoon in what was described as “a cooling-off gesture.” Security along the border has been reinforced and hundreds of Haitians have been repatriated in what can only be labeled as retaliation for the ban.
The Martelly administration banned the import of poultry and eggs, initially arguing there was avian flu in the Dominican Republic. This was subsequently disputed by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Dominican government.
See more at: www.elcaribe.com.do/2013/06/19/los-comerciantes-dajabon-pararian-por-una-semana#sthash.R9FOv1LQ.dpuf