المملكة: “Food and Medicine”: A temporary ban on the import of poultry and eggs from France

The Food and Drug Authority imposed a temporary ban on Importing poultry meat, table eggs, and their products and equipment, from the Vendée department in the Republic of France.

This precautionary measure comes in the wake of an immediate notification report from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), which reported an outbreak of highly virulent avian influenza in the aforementioned French department.

The Authority’s decision excluded Poultryand table eggs and products derived from them that have undergone precise heat treatment that is sufficient to completely eliminate the bird influenza virus.

The Food and Drug Administration confirmed that heat-treated products must be Conforming to health requirements and the standard specifications approved in the Kingdom.

The authority required that these excluded shipments be accompanied by a health certificate issued by the official authorities approved in France, proving conclusively that either the product is free of the virus that causes the disease, or that it has undergone sufficient heat treatment to eliminate it.

It indicated that this decision is part of the precautionary measures taken by Saudi Arabia to protect consumers from the risks of food-borne diseases. The authority called on citizens and residents to verify the source of poultry before purchasing, and to inform the competent authorities if there are any doubts about the safety of the products.