The United Arab Emirates has issued new import rules for all live birds and poultry products coming from Asian countries, implementing wider monitoring mechanisms in response to increasing cases of avian influenza being reported, according to Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, UAE minister of environment and water.
The new rules affect all live birds, their meat products, hatching eggs and one-day-old chicks from all Asian countries to the UAE. “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,” said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Environment and Water. “The shipment of live birds should carry veterinary health certificates from competent authorities of the exporting country to ensure that they are not infected 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."
According to the ministry, any product not meeting the new conditions will be rejected or confiscated and destroyed.