Oman imposes temporary bans on poultry, livestock imports from Portugal and Egypt
Move follows health risk alerts; other countries also report new bird flu outbreaks
OMAN – Oman has imposed temporary restrictions on importing poultry from Portugal and livestock from Egypt as a preventive measure to protect public health.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MAFWR) announced that the decision was based on veterinary assessments highlighting potential disease risks in the affected regions.
Under Ministerial Decision No. 235/2025, the country has suspended imports of live animals, as well as animal products, by-products, and offal, from Egypt’s Beheira governorate.
This measure, the ministry said, is consistent with the Veterinary Quarantine Law under Royal Decree No. 45/2004 and its implementing regulations.
In a similar move, Ministerial Decision No. 236/2025 bans the import of live birds and related products from Portugal’s Santarém Province, also as a precautionary response to veterinary health concerns.
The ministry clarified that the restrictions will remain in place until the animal health conditions in the affected regions improve to acceptable levels.
However, products that have undergone heat treatment or processing in compliance with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards are exempt from the ban.
The decisions come amid a series of bird flu outbreaks across multiple countries, prompting renewed vigilance among governments and the poultry sector.
Bird flu outbreaks spreading across Europe and the Middle East
In Iran, authorities have confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in the northern part of the country, according to a report by the WOAH cited by Reuters.
The incident involved a flock of 90 birds, of which 10 died, while the remaining animals were culled to contain the spread of the virus.
Bird flu has caused widespread losses globally in recent years, disrupting poultry supplies, pushing up food prices, and heightening fears of transmission to humans.
Elsewhere, Denmark’s Veterinary and Food Administration announced plans to cull about 150,000 chickens after detecting the H5N1 strain in a flock on the Jutland peninsula.
This marks Denmark’s first recorded outbreak in poultry since April, following the lifting of restrictions that had been in effect since December 2024.
Authorities have since reinstated indoor housing rules for poultry and captive birds to prevent further infections.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands also reported a new outbreak, with officials ordering the culling of 71,000 chickens at a farm in the country’s northern region after confirmation of bird flu.
The recent wave of outbreaks has reinforced concerns about the persistence of avian influenza across Europe and neighboring regions despite earlier containment efforts.
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