Saudi Arabia suspends live poultry import from Vietnam over bird flu

The Saudi Press Agency quoted Director General of Department of Animal and Plant Quarantine Osama bin Abdullah Al-Saleh as saying that the ban was based on a warning issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

Previously on March 26, the Ministry announced the suspension of imports of poultry products, hatching eggs and chicks from Tennessee after a form of bird flu highly lethal to poultry was found in the US state.

That ban was also issued after a WOAH warning and will remain in place until it is certain that they are free from the disease.

According to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, in March two flocks were found to be infected with H7N9, the state's first infection of bird flu in more than a year.