| UAE Minister for Environment and Water Mohammed Saeed Al Kindi issued an administrative decree lifting the ban imposed on the import of live birds and poultry products from countries hit by bird flu, including India, the official Emirates news agency reported yesterday. |
| It said the ministry's decision to lift the ban was based on information from the World Organisation for Animal Health, which gave India a clean chit. |
| The UAE had imposed the ban in February 2006 following the avian flu outbreak reported in India. Other Gulf countries such as Muscat and Doha also banned Indian poultry following the outbreak, but it was lifted last year following an official declaration from OIE (Organisation of Internationale Epidemia or the World Organisation of Animal Health) on India's poultry disease free-status, sources said. |
| Two weeks ago, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath had requested the UAE's Minister of Economy, Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, to lift the ban at a meeting in New Delhi. |
| The UAE imports about 10 lakh eggs a day, out of which 35 per cent is from Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, India's poultry hub. After the ban, the UAE was importing eggs from Europe priced at Rs 6-7 an egg, sources said. |
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