Namibia suspends poultry from Germany, Netherlands after bird flu outbreak

Source: Nyasha Nyaungwa, Bizcommunity, 2 November 2021, photo credit: The Kathmandu Post

Namibia suspended imports of live poultry, birds and poultry products from Germany and the Netherlands on Monday after outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu in the European countries.

Germany reported the bird flu outbreak at a goose farm last week while commercial farms across the Netherlands were ordered to keep all poultry inside after an outbreak at a farm in the central province of Flevoland.

Namibia’s veterinary services directorate said it had with immediate effect suspended the import and in-transit movement of live poultry, birds, raw poultry products, live ostriches and ostrich products from the two countries.

It said consignments of poultry products packed from 1 October in Germany and 5 October in the Netherlands would be rejected and returned or destroyed at a cost to the importer.

The risk to humans from the disease is considered low, but previous outbreaks among farm birds have resulted in extensive slaughtering programmes to contain the spread.
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The South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO) coordinates industry interventions and collaboratively manages risks in the value chain to enable the sustainability and profitability of pork producers in South Africa.