December 23, 2005

EU extends Romanian poultry import ban

The EU has further restricted poultry meat and product imports from Romania by extending a regional ban in 26 Romanian provinces affected by bird flu. Restrictions on live birds imports from Romania will also continue.

The EC first imposed restricted imports of live birds, poultry meat and other poultry products from Romania in October after bird flu was detected in 23 villages in or near the Danube Delta on the Black Sea, some 300 kilometres from Bucharest.

Meanwhile, Romania said on Dec 22 that suspected bird flu cases found earlier in a village 100 kilometres east of Bucharest were of the H5 type, and has ordered more tests to check if it is the pathogenic H5N1 strain.

About 1,100 domestic birds in the village of Traian will be culled, said the agriculture ministry.

So far, nine cases have been confirmed as the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, and the ministry said it will send another seven samples from the east of the country to a British laboratory for tests.