Saudi Food and Drug Authority ( has issued avian influenza in those areas, necessitating swift action to ensure food safety and protect the local market.
According to a circular distributed by the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce to its members, based on directives from the Federation of Saudi Chambers and communications from the Ministry of Commerce, the ban specifically includes the Calvados region in France and the Lodzkie region in Poland. The authority based its decision on immediate notification reports issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in late December 2025, which documented confirmed cases of the virus in the aforementioned regions.
Global context and strict preventive measures
Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral disease that poses a direct threat to global livestock and significantly impacts international food trade. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through its Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), adheres to strict protocols aligned with international standards for managing transboundary animal diseases. These measures rely on continuous monitoring of the global epidemiological situation to ensure that no pathogens that could harm public health or the agricultural and livestock sectors enter the Kingdom.
Exceptions and technical conditions
In its commitment to market stability and the continued flow of food supplies, the Authority included specific exceptions for products that have undergone sufficient heat treatment to eliminate the avian influenza virus. Regulatory bodies stipulated the following conditions for releasing these shipments:
- Attach a health or technical certificate issued by accredited government agencies in France and Poland.
- The certificate must prove that the product is free of the virus or has undergone the necessary heat treatment.
- The products comply with all Saudi and Gulf health requirements and standard specifications.
Protecting the national economy and food security
This decision holds significant economic importance that extends beyond mere health restrictions. The Kingdom seeks to protect its substantial investments in the rapidly growing domestic poultry sector, which is striving for self-sufficiency. Preventing the virus's entry is a proactive step to safeguard domestic farms from potentially devastating losses resulting from infection, thereby contributing to price stability and ensuring the quality of poultry available to consumers.
The Ministry of Commerce and the Federation of Saudi Chambers are continuing their efforts to immediately circulate these regulations to all importers, to ensure full compliance and to spare traders any financial losses that may result from importing shipments from prohibited areas, based on the reports issued on December 18 and 19, 2025 regarding the epidemiological situation in the two countries.
