Russia plans to ban poultry transit from US to Kazakhstan

Russia plans to temporarily ban the transit of all poultry products from the United States to Kazakhstan due to bird flu concerns, RIA Novosti reports citing its source.

"Rosselkhoznadzor [i.e. the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance] considers it necessary to introduce temporary restrictions on the transit of all poultry products from the United States to Kazakhstan through the territory of the Russian Federation," the source said.

It is noted that the amount of such supplies in 2022 was 23 thousand tons, whereas in the current year—15 thousand tons.

This decision, as the interlocutor of the aforesaid news agency assumed, is aimed at protecting the territories of Russia and Kazakhstan from highly pathogenic bird flu, as the respective epidemic situation in the US is currently unstable. Thus, according to the World Organization for Animal Health, more than 290 cases of bird flu were recorded this year in the US.

And in early December, Belgium had announced an outbreak of bird flu on the border with France.