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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Ministry of Agriculture on Monday dismissed as "baseless and unfounded" reports that it had allowed the importation of poultry products from Ukraine despite a ban on all poultry imports from this county following the outbreak of the H5 avian influenza.

The ministry was responding to reports circulated on social media outlets in the wake of two mass food poisoning incidents in the Balqa governorate where hundreds of people fell ill and two persons died after taking contaminated chicken meals from local restaurants.

In a statement issued today, the ministry explained that no poultry products from Ukraine have been allowed to enter the Kingdom since January 20th this year after the eastern European nation announced the outbreak of the H5 avian influenza.

The ministry added that even after the World Organization for Animal Health announced Ukraine an H5-free country in early March, no shipments of Ukrainian poultry products have been allowed to enter the Kingdom to date.

During the ban period, the ministry said, no Ukrainian poultry imports were allowed, adding that the last shipment was cleared in December 2019. The ministry urged the public not to disseminate inaccurate information which, it said, disrupts economic activity and harms local producers and markets.