The UAE banned the import of live birds from the Netherlands due to the outbreak of highly infectious strains of bird flu.
The World Animal Health Organization (OIE) has adopted a number of documents regarding the spread of the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu strain in the province of Flevoland in the Netherlands, where more than 150,000 chickens were infected. Following these instructions, the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Protection (MoCCAE) announced that it had taken a set of measures to ban the import from the Netherlands of all types of domestic and wild birds, ornamental birds, chickens, hatching eggs and products from them, not heat-treated.
According to MoCCAE, this ban does not apply to the import of poultry products that have undergone heat treatment.
MoCCAE’s Assistant Secretary of Food, Dr. Majid Sultan Al Qasimi, said: “These measures reflect the ministry’s concern with strategic objectives, including improving the safety of biological products, and the ban on the import of pathogens into the country. This way, the ministry fights against bird flu and the risks associated with its spread, the impact of influenza on the number of poultry in the country, the protection of public health. "
MoCCAE carefully checks all accompanying documents for goods imported into the country (certificates of origin, safety certificates and the so-called Halal certificates).
The ministry also conducts organoleptic testing to ensure that product quality meets stringent UAE standards. Samples of food products from the cargo are transferred to the laboratory for the necessary tests to ensure their safety and suitability for import into the country.
