UAE Minister for Environment and Water Mohammed Saeed Al Kindi issued an administrative decree lifting the ban imposed on the import of live birds and poultry products from countries hit by bird flu, including India, the official Emirates news agency reported yesterday.

It said the ministry’s decision to lift the ban was based on information from the World Organisation for Animal Health, which gave India a clean chit.

The UAE had imposed the ban in February 2006 following the avian flu outbreak reported in India. Other Gulf countries such as Muscat and Doha also banned Indian poultry following the outbreak, but it was lifted last year following an official declaration from OIE (Organisation of Internationale Epidemia or the World Organisation of Animal Health) on India’s poultry disease free-status, sources said.

Source: Business Standard