December 4, 2006

EU prolongs ban on live bird imports for three months

The European Union Friday (Dec 1) extended its ban on live bird imports by another three months, seeking to ensure that bird flu doesn't spread on the Continent.

The ban, first put in place in October 2005, will remain in place until March 31. The extension will give regulators more time to evaluate a recent health study on live bird imports, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said in a statement.

The commission had hoped to put in place new protective measures governing live bird imports. But the Brussels-based authority said it needed more time to study proposals made in October by food safety regulators.

"Given the global bird flu situation, it was deemed necessary to keep the current import ban in place until these new protection measures are in place," the commission said in a statement.

Since early August, there have been no reported cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the EU.