Saudi Arabia’s Food and Drug Authority has banned the import of poultry and table eggs from 40 countries, including Nigeria, and imposed partial restrictions on certain regions in 16 other nations to safeguard public health and ensure food safety in the domestic market.
“The list of affected countries is subject to regular review in line with global health developments and epidemiological updates,” the authority said, as quoted by Gulf News on Tuesday.
According to the latest revision, some bans have been in place since 2004, while others were introduced gradually based on risk assessments and international reports of animal diseases, particularly outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The full ban now applies to Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Djibouti, South Africa, China, Iraq, Ghana, Palestine, Vietnam, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Cameroon, South Korea, North Korea, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Serbia, Slovenia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Montenegro.
Partial restrictions are in place for specific states or cities in Australia, the United States, Italy, Belgium, Bhutan, Poland, Togo, Denmark, Romania, Zimbabwe, France, the Philippines, Canada, Malaysia, Austria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The authority clarified that “the temporary ban does not apply to heat-treated poultry meat and related products, provided they comply with approved health and safety standards.”
