Azerbaijan restricts livestock imports from EU amid disease concerns

Azerbaijan has imposed temporary import restrictions on livestock products from certain regions in France, Liechtenstein, Italy, Romania and Austria, following reports of animal disease outbreaks, the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan (AFSA) announced on Monday, reported Xinhua.

The restrictions came in response to notifications from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), which reported cases of bluetongue in France's Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and in the Liechtenstein municipalities of Schaan and Mauren. Highly pathogenic avian influenza was also detected in Austria's Lower Austria state, Italy's Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region and Romania's Tulcea County.

To prevent the spread of these diseases, Azerbaijan has restricted imports of all live cattle and sheep within a 150-kilometer radius of the affected areas. Additionally, imports of live poultry, hatching eggs, poultry meat, processed poultry products (unless heat-treated) and specific poultry feeds from within a 10-kilometer radius of the outbreaks are prohibited.

Azerbaijan's State Customs Committee has been advised to implement stringent measures on vehicles arriving from or transiting through the affected areas, as well as those passing through Azerbaijan en route to other countries.