New import checks in wake of bird flu pandemic

Importers of live birds and other poultry products from Asian countries are required to meet a set of new criteria, according to a decision issued in this regard by the UAE minister of environment and water Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad on Sunday. With this decision, the environment ministry will implement wider monitoring mechanisms for the import of all live birds, their meat products, hatching eggs and one-day-old chicks from all Asian countries to the UAE. This is in response to increasing cases of bird flu reported in these countries recently. The UAE has developed a surveillance system to identify infected poultry products and prevent such diseases from spreading in the country in line with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) recommendations. The Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) said in a statement that all such imports should be accompanied by proper documents and a veterinary health certificate endorsed by relevant authorities. A spokesperson of the MoEW added that the resolution specifies that entry of any type of bird, live or slaughtered, or their products requires obtaining an import permit in advance from the environment ministry. “The exporting country should be free of bird flu for at least 12 months before the date of shipment, with certificates and documents from government agencies to prove that the products are free from virus or contamination,” she added. “The shipment of live birds should carry veterinary health certificates from competent authorities of the exporting country to ensure that they are not affected with any type of infectious disease. Also the importer should produce a certificate issued by an accredited laboratory within a period not exceeding 21 days of the export that the birds or products have been tested clinically,” elaborated the ministry official. “In case of a breach of any of the conditions, the imported consignment will be rejected and returned to the country of origin or it will be confiscated and destroyed in the UAE in accordance with quarantine procedures,” she concluded. From / Gulf Today