Kosovo has decided to temporarily ban chicken meat and other poultry products from Brazil, the Food and Veterinary Agency announced on Tuesday.
The measure was taken after Brazil confirmed on Friday an outbreak of bird flu on a farm, while saying it was investigating other suspected cases, A2 reports.
Kosovo authorities have said that the decision to ban chicken meat from Brazil "aims to protect public health and prevent the possible spread of the disease in the territory of Kosovo."
The European Union also announced a day ago that it has banned Brazil, the world's largest poultry exporter and the main exporter of poultry meat to the EU, from sending poultry and meat products to the bloc's countries.
The Food and Veterinary Agency has announced that the measure "will remain in force until further notice, always based on the epidemiological situation in Brazil and the reassessment of the risk by the FVA."
Bird flu is a highly contagious viral disease that affects birds and, in rare cases, can also be transmitted to humans.
"Although there is no evidence that consuming poultry meat or eggs can cause infection, the import ban is a precautionary measure to guarantee the food safety of citizens," the AUVA statement said.
Kosovo, during the period January-April of this year alone, imported chicken products from Brazil worth 13.7 million euros, out of a total of 34.7 million euros, which is the total value of imports of these products from all countries during this period.
According to Kosovo Customs data, the country imported chicken products worth 91.8 million euros from international markets during 2024 - while chicken meat worth 30.6 million euros from Brazil alone./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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