Saudi Arabia’s Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has banned the import of poultry and table eggs from 40 countries including Bangladesh aimed at protecting public health and ensuring food safety in the kingdom.

It also imposed partial restrictions on certain regions in 16 other countries, reports Gulf News.

The authority said the list of affected countries is regularly reviewed in line with global health developments and epidemiological updates.

According to the latest update, some bans have been in place since 2004, while others were introduced gradually over the years based on risk assessments and international reports on animal diseases, especially highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks.

The full ban covers imports from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Djibouti, South Africa, China, Iraq, Ghana, Palestine, Vietnam, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Cameroon, South Korea, North Korea, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Serbia, Slovenia, Côte d’Ivoire and Montenegro.

Partial restrictions apply to certain states or cities in Australia, the United States, Italy, Belgium, Bhutan, Poland, Togo, Denmark, Romania, Zimbabwe, France, the Philippines, Canada, Malaysia, Austria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The SFDA clarified that the ban does not cover heat-treated poultry and related products, provided they meet approved health and safety standards.

Such products must carry official certification confirming that they have been processed to eliminate avian influenza and Newcastle disease viruses and come from approved facilities in the exporting country.