Azerbaijan suspends import of poultry products from regions of Iran, Scotland

24 February 2021 11:37 (UTC+04:00)

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By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan’s Food and Safety Agency has suspended import of poultry products from some regions of Iran and Scotland, the agency has reported.

The ban is in line with the World Organization for Animal Health warning against infectious animal diseases that may enter Azerbaijan’s territory from other countries.

According to the Organization, a highly pathogenic disease “bird flu” has been reported in Iran's Mazandaran, Gilan, Qom and Kurdistan provinces and in Scotland's Fife administrative-territorial unit.

In this regard, the Agency has imposed temporary import restrictions on all types of live birds and poultry products from the above-mentioned territories.

Meanwhile, an appeal has been made to Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee to take relevant measures to strengthen control over vehicles arriving and passing through Iran and Scotland.

Earlier, the Agency imposed a temporary ban on the import of poultry from some territories of Bulgaria, Korea, Ukraine, Germany, Northern Ireland, Poland, Romania, Iran, Sweden, Vietnam, Iraq, India, Wales, France, England, Finland, the Czech Republic and Belgium into Azerbaijan after the World Organization for Animal Health’s warning.

The Azerbaijani Food Safety Agency was established in 2017 and is a central executive authority, which oversees the regulation of food safety standards, risk assessment, official registration of food products and their packaging materials, issue of food safety certificates to exported food products. It is also responsible for state control over food safety and protection of rights of food product consumers at all stages of the food supply chain, including food production, supply, packaging, storage, transportation and trading, use in catering and service sector, utilization and disposal as well as implementation and regulation of state policy in the aforementioned areas.

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Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad