Azerbaijan restricts imports from Bulgaria, Croatia over animal disease risks

The Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan imposed temporary restrictions on the import of certain goods from specific regions in Bulgaria and Croatia.

The measures are based on official data from the World Organisation for Animal Health, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The livestock disease—peste des petits ruminants (PPR)—has been detected in Bulgaria’s Kardzhali region. Additionally, peste des petits ruminants, commonly known as bluetongue, has been recorded in Bulgaria’s Smolyan and Blagoevgrad regions, Morocco’s Fès–Meknès region, and several counties in Croatia, including in Primorje‑Gorski Kotar, Lika‑Senj, Karlovac, and Krapina–Zagorje.

To prevent the spread of these infectious animal diseases within Azerbaijan, and in alignment with the zoning principle outlined in the World Organisation for Animal Health’s Terrestrial Animal Health Code, the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan has implemented these temporary import restrictions from the affected administrative territories.

A formal request has been sent to the State Customs Committee, urging appropriate measures be taken to enforce the restrictions.

By Vafa Guliyeva