The Commerce Ministry of India has imposed a ban on import of poultry items from Avian-flu affected nations. The products notified for import ban are poultry, meat and meat products and several, other livestock products.

The pet food import containing meat from avian species and animal feed made from pig and bird products has been exempted from the ban.

This ban also includes pathological and biological products from birds, products of animal origin (from birds) intended for use in animal feeding or for agricultural or industrial use. But import of pathological material and biological products for diagnostic and research purposes from SAARC countries has been exempted from the ban.

The Avian flu was reported in 2007 in Indonesia, UK, Egypt, Cambodia, China, Lao, and Nigeria.

Directorate General of Foreign Trade said that import of live poultry, captive birds, chicks, ducks, meat and meat products from avian species, including wild birds, egg products, feathers, live pig and unprocessed pig products is banned from countries reporting Avian influenza in a notification.  

Along with ban on imports from the affected countries, the government has also banned import of several items from across the world. The list of banned items from countries where bird flu has not been reported includes domestic and wild birds (excluding poultry and captive birds), unprocessed meat and meat products from avian species including wild birds (except poultry) and semen of domestic and wild birds.