Namibia has announced a ban on poultry imports from Spain due to the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in that country.
The Ministry of agriculture said the ban takes effect from the 18th of July 2022 due to the incubation of the disease being 14 days as set by the World Health Organization, “thus consignments containing poultry products packed in their packing on or after the date of start of suspension will be rejected and sent back to the country of origin or destroyed at the importers cost.”
Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Albertina Shilongo said all previously issued import and transit permits, “are hereby cancelled and recalled with immediate effect.”
Cooked poultry meat products for commercial purposes may still be imported into the country under a veterinary import permit.
This comes less than a month after the Ministry of Agriculture lifted control measures imposed after an outbreak of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was detected in the Erongo region and killed over 1,000 wild birds, mainly cape cormorants.
The highly-pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, which is a deadly form of bird flu that can be transmitted to humans, was first detected in January in the towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.
