Azerbaijan restricts food imports from 85 countries Over animal disease outbreaks

Azerbaijan has introduced restrictions on food imports from 85 countries in response to outbreaks of 15 animal diseases, the head of the Food Safety Agency and chief state veterinary inspector, Galib Abdullaliyev, announced on September 12.

Abdullaliyev said that in the past week alone, new cases of bluetongue, foot-and-mouth disease, small ruminant pox, and highly pathogenic avian influenza had been detected in multiple regions worldwide, Caliber.Az reports via the agency.

He noted that foot-and-mouth disease had been reported in Mongolia’s Dornod province, while bluetongue cases had emerged in Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Libya, Portugal, Spain, and Norway. In addition, authorities had also recorded cases of small ruminant pox and avian influenza in several of these regions.

According to the Food Safety Agency, the restrictions are aimed at preventing the spread of these diseases into Azerbaijan’s livestock sector and protecting food security.

By Sabina Mammadli