By Associated Press, Published: June 17

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Merchants in the Dominican Republic have shuttered a large border market in protest over neighboring Haiti’s ban on poultry and egg imports.

The Dajabon market was closed Monday seeking to pressure Haiti to drop the ban. A Dominican board says the country sells about 25 million eggs and 8 million chickens to Haiti every month.

Early in June, Haiti said it was barring those products because there had been an outbreak of avian flu in the Dominican Republic. But local and international health officials say there is no avian flu in the Dominican Republic. They say a few recent deaths have been due to swine flu.

A Haitian newspaper has reported that a Haitian government official has acknowledged that authorities erred when they made the report.