Food Agency: Georgia has not received notification from international organisations regarding restrictions on chicken imports
The National Food Agency of Georgia said that cases of human infection with frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil to China have not been confirmed at this stage. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The National Food Agency of Georgia is responding to the discovery of traces of the new coronavirus in cargoes of frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil to China, saying that at this stage Georgia has not received any notification from international organisations regarding restrictions on chicken imports.
However, the World Health Organisation noted the risk of the virus entering the food chain was very low.
The National Food Agency of Georgia said that cases of human infection with frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil to China have not been confirmed at this stage.
The agency said that meat is imported to Georgia from EU-recognised enterprises, as well as from enterprises inspected by the National Food Agency inspectors that meet food safety requirements.
Georgia has reported 23 new cases of the coronavirus earlier today. Six of the 23 new patients are from Lenjeri village of Mestia municipality which is on lockdown. Eleven of the new patients contracted the virus from contact with infected individuals in the country, two new cases were imported (both are truck drivers), one new patient is a medical personnel, while the source of infection has not been identified in the remaining three cases. Since February 26, 2020 Georgia has had 1,306 cases of the coronavirus.
Mestia municipality in western Georgia, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country, has been placed on lockdown as 16 people have tested positive in the past two days in the municipality for the coronavirus. People will not be able to enter or leave the municipality without the police’s consent. Tourists who are now in the municipality will be placed under quarantine in hotels where they are currently located (if the hotels meet the recommendations of Georgia’s Health Ministry) or will be transported to other quarantine zones.
Twenty-four open air produce markets have already opened in Georgia as of today as a result of Georgia’s first stage of a plan to gradually lift coronavirus-related restrictions, including allowing open air food markets to resume operations after they had been closed to prevent the further spread of the new coronavirus in the country.
Out of the 80 open air produce markets registered in Georgia, most of them are not observing hygiene requirements, so we should not think that all markets will start working today, said Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili.
Individuals will have to spend 12 days instead of 14 in quarantine or self isolation in Georgia, according to a new decree which comes into play starting August 12.
The National Food Agency of Georgia has found more than 500 kg of horse and cattle meat of unknown origin near the Batumi produce market in the Georgian Black Sea region of Adjara. The agency says that following the law, cattle must be slaughtered at a slaughterhouse and the meat must have certain documents of approval before sale.
Employees of the Sanitary, Phytosanitary and Veterinary Control Division of the Customs Department have found 1,952 kilograms of tomatoes and 82,500 kilograms of frozen chicken meat 'non-compliant with import requirements at Sarpi and Poti Port customs checkpoint of Georgia.