Saudi Arabia has imposed a ban on the importation of poultry meat and eggs from Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom and 38 other countries over concerns linked to animal disease outbreaks.

The affected countries list, according to the Saudi Gazette, remains under periodic review in line with global animal health developments.

Quoting the Okaz, the report said some countries have been under restriction since 2004, while others were added over time following risk assessments and international alerts, particularly relating to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza and other transboundary animal diseases.

The newspaper said the measures reflect the sustained efforts of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) to closely monitor the global epidemiological situation and protect public health within the Kingdom.

Countries under a total ban include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Djibouti, South Africa, China, Iraq, Ghana, Palestine, Vietnam, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Cameroon, South Korea, North Korea, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Serbia, Slovenia, Ivory Coast, and Montenegro.

In addition, specific provinces and cities in 16 countries are affected by a partial ban. These include Australia, the United States, Italy, Belgium, Bhutan, Poland, Togo, Denmark, Romania, Zimbabwe, France, the Philippines, Canada, Malaysia, Austria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The SFDA clarified that poultry products which have undergone sufficient heat treatment or approved processing methods capable of eliminating the Newcastle disease virus may be exempted from the temporary ban, subject to strict compliance with health regulations and standards.

Such products, the authority said, must be accompanied by an official health certificate issued by competent authorities in the exporting country, confirming that the processing applied is adequate to neutralise the virus and that the products originate from approved facilities.

The Saudi authorities stressed that the import restrictions would continue to be reviewed and adjusted in response to evolving global health assessments and scientific evidence.