Azerbaijan suspends poultry imports from more regions
By Ayya Lmahamad
Azerbaijan’s Food and Safety Agency has suspended import of poultry and poultry products from some regions of Albania and Iraq over bird flu concerns.
The World Organization for Animal Health reported that a highly pathogenic disease "bird flu" has been found in Albania's Dibra and Iraq's Wasit territorial-administrative units.
The Food and Safety Agency is taking relevant measures in line with Organization's warning against infectious animal diseases that may enter Azerbaijan's territory from other countries.
In this regard, the Agency has imposed temporary import restrictions on all types of live birds, poultry 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 the mentioned territories.
So far, the Agency imposed a temporary ban on the import of poultry from over 40 countries. The restriction in poultry import has to do with the bird flu that is present in 55 countries and is in line with recommendations from the World Organization for Animal Health.
Set up in 2017, the Azerbaijani Food Safety Agency 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.
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Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad
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