ARMENIAN IMPOSES TEMPORARY BAN ON IMPORT OF PORK

ArmInfo
2009-04-30 12:57:00

At late April, Armenia imposed a temporary ban on import of pork from
the countries where a swine flue was fixed, Agriculture Minister of
Armenia Aramais Grigoryan said at the government session on Thursday.

He also said, this kind of disease has not been fixed in Armenia,
however, the risk of infection is very great. The ban has been
imposed on import of pigs and pork from Mexico, USA and some European
countries. At the same time, the minister offered to impose some
restrictions on the import of fowl, as the swine flue is transferred
to the birds as well. He assured that no problems will arise in the
republic in view of the import restriction, since Armenia fully meets
the internal needs in pork and fowl due to the own production.

According to the Minister of Health of Armenia Harutyun Kushkyan,
strict control of the pork import has been imposed in the airports and
check-points and the republic has been fully provided with the required
drugs. It is also scheduled to install heat-visions in the airports,
which will respond to the passengers’ temperature, he said. The pork
is mainly imported from the USA, Canada and Brazil. Prime Minister
of Armenia Tigran Sarkisyan said at the government session that
the World Health Organization has increased the degree of the risk
of infection with a swine flue as this disease expands from man to
man very quickly. He said Armenia needs to take all the preventive
measures against penetration of this disease.