Poultry exporters in several Middle Eastern countries warned that the ban on poultry imports into Saudi Arabia could negatively affect their businesses.
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority has imposed a complete ban of raw poultry and table eggs from 40 countries to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, effective 1 March. Affected countries include India, China, Germany, and Indonesia, while partial restrictions apply to specific regions in 16 other nations, including the US, France, and Canada.
Saudi Arabia has faced criticism in some neighbouring countries for the introduction of the sweeping restrictions on poultry imports. Image created with the help of AI (Reve)
Saudi Arabia imports poultry primarily from Brazil, which accounted for around 70% of deliveries in 2025. The UAE, Russia, Ukraine, and Egypt are also among the largest suppliers.
In parallel, the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture issued a report revealing that the country’s poultry production exceeded 1.31 million tonnes per year. In 2023, the figure stood at 1.1 million tonnes, according to the official governmental data.
Egyptian exporters’ woes
Saudi Arabia faced criticism in some neighbouring countries for the introduction of the sweeping restrictions. Abdel Aziz El-Sayed, a member of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, questioned the rationale behind including Egypt in the list of countries subject to restrictions. He said that Egypt exports poultry to Saudi Arabia from large commercial farms well protected against bird flu. These facilities, he added, are fully prepared for any inspections by the Saudi officials.
El-Sayed also noted that restrictions were not imposed on major exporters, such as Brazil and Ukraine – though the latter is still in a state of armed conflict, implying it is difficult to ensure a high level of sanitary protection.
Although the Egyptian poultry farmers are primarily focused on meeting domestic demand, exports, including to Saudi Arabia, remain vital for the industry, since it generates a much-needed flow of foreign currency necessary to purchase corn and soybeans for poultry feed production, El-Sayed stated.
An industry-protecting step
The Saudi poultry ban will have a limited impact on the Indian poultry industry, Suresh Chitturi, managing director of Srinivasa Farms, told local press. India exports only small quantities of poultry to the Saudi’s market, he added.
However, the broad scope of the restrictions, he noted, covering many countries, including those with strong commercial poultry industries, suggests this may be more of an industry-protecting and market-shaping measure than a narrowly targeted animal health action.
Vladislav Vorotnikov
Source: poultryworld (17/03/2026)
