Hanoi (VNA) – Saudi Arabia’s temporary ban on the imports of live birds, hatching eggs and chicks from Vietnam over concerns about avian flu has no effect on the nation as it has not exported live poultry to any country yet, an official said on April 17.

The official of the Department of Animal Health under Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Department (MARD), made the confirmation after the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on April 16 that the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia has temporarily banned imports of live birds, hatching eggs and chicks from Vietnam over concerns about avian flu.

Currently, only one Vietnamese company is planning to export processed chicken to Japan. This enterprise has built a chicken slaughtering and processing in southern Dong Nai province, the official added.

The SPA quoted Director General of Department of Animal and Plant Quarantine Osama bin Abdullah Al-Saleh as saying that the ban was based on a warning issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

Previously on March 26, the Ministry announced the suspension of imports of poultry products, hatching eggs and chicks from Tennessee after a form of bird flu highly lethal to poultry was found in the US state.

That ban was also issued after a WOAH warning and will remain in place until it is certain that they are free from the disease.

According to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, in March, two flocks were found to be infected with H7N9, the state's first infection of bird flu in more than a year.-VNA