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- Namibia suspends import and in-transit movement of live poultry and poultry products from South Carolina due to a bird flu outbreak
- Poultry products from Ukraine may be allowed to transit through Namibia if they were produced and packed on or before 27 December 2019
Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform of Namibia has announced the suspension of the import and in-transit movement of live poultry and poultry products from South Carolina in the United States of America due to a bird flu outbreak. According to a protocol signed between the DVS and the US Department of Agriculture, in the event of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in one or more of the USA’s administrative territories, import permits will continue to be issued for the importation of poultry and their products from other parts of the US not affected by the outbreak.
USA reported this outbreak, to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) as having started on 6 April. The first incidence of the Bird flu was reported at a turkey farm in South Carolina. The outbreak killed close to 1 600 birds while more than 32 500 turkeys were euthanised to prevent the spread of the disease. As per the guidelines of OIE, the incubation period of the disease is 21 days. Therefore, the suspension of poultry and poultry products from South Carolina comes into effect 21 days prior to the date of the start of the event. Consignments which have finished final packing on or before 16 March 2020 will be accepted, the ministry’s statement states. consignments of poultry products from South Carolina packed on or after 17 March will be rejected and returned to the country of origin or destroyed at the importer’s cost. The statement added that all previously issued import and in-transit permits for South Carolina has been cancelled and recalled with immediate effect.
In another similar case was reported from Ukraine. HPAI outbreak in Ukraine was reported on 18 January this year and resolved on 4 March. In a similar move, the Namibian Ministry  has stated that Poultry products from Ukraine may be allowed to transit through Namibia if they were produced and packed on or before 27 December 2019 and those derived from poultry that were slaughtered on or after 4 March 2020.
However, the ministry has allowed imports of Cooked poultry products from both these countries for commercial purposes to be imported under the veterinary import permit.
