Riyadh, Jumada I 18, 1438, February 15, 2017, SPA -- Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced today a temporary ban on the import of live birds and hatching eggs from Italy. This came following official reports by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), confirming emergence of high virulence bird flu in Italy. The ministry directed all animal quarantine inlets and other relevant government agencies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to take the necessary measures. -- SPA 18:15 LOCAL TIME 15:15 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w333281