Azerbaijan suspends poultry imports from more regions

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan’s Food and Safety Agency has suspended the import of poultry and poultry products from some regions of Poland and Pakistan over bird flu concerns.

The World Organization for Animal Health reported that a highly pathogenic disease "bird flu" has been found in some parts of Poland's Malopolskie, Mazowieckie, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie and Opolskie voivodeships, as well as in Pakistan's Punjab territorial-administrative unit.

The Food and Safety Agency is taking relevant measures in line with the aforesaid warning against infectious animal diseases that may enter Azerbaijan's territory from other countries.

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

Meanwhile, an appeal was 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 has 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 more than 50 countries and is in line with recommendations from the World Organization for Animal Health.

Set up in 2017, the Azerbaijani Food and 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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