Import of frozen poultry from Germany banned

AMMAN — The government on Sunday banned the import of frozen poultry from Germany, where a case of bird flu was reported, an official said on Thursday.

German veterinary authorities announced on the World Organisation for Animal Health’s website that a case of bird flu was detected in order to alert importers, Agriculture Ministry Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said.

“The ban on the import of frozen poultry will continue until the infected country is declared free of bird flu,” Haddadin added.

The government official said that the ban will not affect prices of frozen poultry in the local market.

“The decision is not expected to have any impact on the supply of the product because Jordanian traders import limited amounts of frozen poultry from Germany,” he told The Jordan Times. 

Haddadin explained that the ban doesn’t apply to all poultry products imported from Germany, such as chicken mortadella and minced turkey, underscoring that such products are safe because they are handled at high temperatures.

Bird flu or avian influenza (AI) is an infectious viral disease of birds (especially wild water fowl such as ducks and geese), often causing no apparent signs of illness, according to the World Health Organisation.

AI viruses can sometimes spread to domestic poultry and cause large-scale outbreaks of serious diseases. Some of these AI viruses have also been reported to cross the species barrier and cause disease or subclinical infections in humans and other mammals, according to the WHO website.

Most avian influenza viruses do not infect humans; however some, such as A (H5N1) and A (H7N9), have caused serious infections in people.

In March this year, the ministry banned the import of poultry products from several European countries, where cases of bird flu were reported, including Italy, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

The ministry lifted the ban when the countries were announced free of the disease.