The UAE government announced ban on poultry imports from Saudi Arabia following a reported bird flu outbreak in Riyadh
TURBAT: Recently, the UAE government announced a ban on poultry imports from Saudi Arabia following a reported bird flu outbreak in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. According to a report in The Express Tribune, the UAE’s ministry of climate change and environment took the measure following a notification from the Gulf Early Warning Centre of an outbreak of a ‘highly contagious’ strain of bird flu, H5N8, in Azizia market in Riyadh. It was also disclosed that the precautionary measures do not only put a ban on poultry imports but also include a ban on the import of all kinds of domestic and wildlife birds, ornamental birds, chicks, hatching eggs and non-heat-treated wastes from Saudi Arabia.
I appreciate the step taken by the UAE government to save people by putting a ban on the aforementioned goods that can cause health issues. However, I also hope that our government will also learn a lesson from the decision and prioritise public welfare over personal motives.
Bakhtiyar Phullan
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2018.
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