UAE bans import of live birds from Bulgaria
The United Arab Emirates environment ministry said on Monday it has banned the import of live birds from Bulgaria, as well as the import of poultry meats and eggs from the Bulgarian region of Dobrich.
UAE has banned the import of all kinds of live domestic and wild birds, ornamental birds and hatching eggs from Bulgaria, the ministry said in a tweet.
The ministry gave no reason for its decision but Bulgaria said last week it would cull 140,000 hens to fend off an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus in a farm in the northeastern region of Dobrich, near the border with Romania.
All steps to eliminate the hotbed of the infection in line with European legislation were immediately taken, the Bulgarian food safety agency said last week.