KSA bans poultry imports from flu-hit American states

RIYADH: The outbreak of avian influenza in several states of the US prompted the Kingdom to temporarily ban imports of poultry products from bird flu-affected regions.
Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) on Saturday confirmed the temporary ban on imports of poultry meat and eggs from the US due to the outbreak of avian influenza in states including Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa.
The authority, however, said that poultry products from other states, which are thermally processed and certified to be free of bird flu, will be permitted for imports.
“Heat-processed poultry products that are treated in a way that destroys the virus are excluded from the temporary ban,” an SFDA official said.
He added that the current ban would continue until the situation in these states returns to be normal. Notably, a severe outbreak of avian flu hit many states in the US.
According to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates, the ongoing avian flu outbreak plaguing much of the nation’s Midwest has affected more than 47 million birds. The domestic egg and poultry industries have been hit hard as entire flocks are being wiped out either by the sickness itself or agriculture workers desperately trying to prevent the spread of avian flu in the country.
USDA said that avian flu cases have been reported this year in 15 states. Iowa, America’s largest egg-producing state, and Minnesota, the second-largest turkey producer, are the worst affected.
The Kingdom, the second-largest importer of chicken broiler meat in the world, recently imposed a similar ban on poultry imports from Canada, Taiwan and Thailand.
The avian virus, popularly known as bird flu, is the highly pathogenic H5N2 strain.