December 9, 2005

Lithuania bans Ukrainian poultry due to bird flu
 

Lithuanian authorities said they have imposed an immediate ban on Ukrainian poultry and poultry-related products due to bird flu.

The ban covered all types of birds and related poultry products from Ukraine, including live chickens, eggs, and chicken meat, Lithuania's top veterinarian authority said.

Ukrainian authorities had recently reported the H5 strain of bird flu in five villages in the Crimea peninsula. Over 1,500 birds were culled soon after the outbreaks started.

Ukraine has not reported any human cases of the disease so far. But the country's chief veterinarian Petro Verbytsky said bird samples would be sent to European laboratories for further tests.

Experts said migratory birds carrying the bird flu virus were mainly responsible for spreading the disease to Ukrainian poultry.