Saudi arabia: Saudi Arabia’s Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has banned the import of poultry and table eggs from 40 countries, including Bangladesh, to protect public health and ensure food safety in the kingdom. This measure is part of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts to monitor global health developments and address potential risks associated with animal diseases.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the SFDA has also imposed partial restrictions on specific regions in 16 other countries. The authority stated that the list of affected countries is regularly reviewed in response to global health trends and epidemiological updates. The bans, some of which have been in place since 2004, have been introduced gradually based on risk assessments and international reports on outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The comprehensive ban affects imports from 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, C´te d’Ivoire, and Montenegro.
Partial restrictions apply to certain 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 SFDA emphasized that the ban does not cover heat-treated poultry and related products, provided they meet approved health and safety standards. Such products must carry official certification confirming they have been processed to eliminate avian influenza and Newcastle disease viruses and originate from approved facilities in the exporting country.