Morocco suspends poultry imports from Portugal amid bird flu case

Morocco has suspended poultry imports from Portugal after a highly pathogenic bird flu was detected at a hen farm near Lisbon.

The National Office for Food Safety (ONSA), in a letter addressed to Portuguese health authorities, said the decision covers live poultry, meat, derivative products, eggs, and animal feed, according to the Moroccan-government-friendly outlet, Moroccan World News, on September 8.

The ban excludes feed that has undergone heat treatment sufficient to eliminate the virus, provided it is accompanied by an official health declaration and a certificate proving the treatment process.

The move follows the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health announcement of a highly contagious avian influenza outbreak at a laying hen farm near Lisbon, raising fears the disease could spread internationally.

Youssef Alaoui, President of the Interprofessional Federation of the Poultry Sector in Morocco, explained that Morocco does not import mother hens from Portugal, but instead brings them in from Spain and France. He told Al Alam that the correspondence sent by ONSA to Portugal is merely a protocol.

He added that Morocco has ten thousand chicken farms, each with a veterinarian tasked with reporting any case of influenza. Failure to comply can result in the withdrawal of their professional certificate.

Regarding eggs, Alaoui confirmed that Morocco achieves self-sufficiency with local production and does not need to import this essential commodity. He stressed that Moroccans do not fear consuming chicken because it comes from Spain and France, where the disease is not widespread.

Meanwhile, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has resurfaced in the United States. The Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed H5N1 at a commercial turkey farm in Falk County, South Dakota, affecting approximately 55,400 birds — the first U.S. commercial poultry outbreak since early July.