February 7, 2007

Ukraine bans UK poultry imports after bird flu outbreak

Ukraine has banned imports of poultry products from the UK after an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu on a farm owned by Europe's largest turkey producer, officials said Tuesday (Feb 6).

The ban applies to deliveries of live birds, eggs and bird meat as well as any poultry products, said Anatoliy Osadchiy, a spokesman for the veterinary department of Ukraine's Agricultural Ministry.

The ban came after about 2,500 turkeys died of the virus on a farm owned by Bernard Matthews in Suffolk, about 210 kilometers northeast of London. All 159,000 turkeys at the farm were ordered slaughtered.

It was the first time H5N1 has been found on a UK farm. Russia's veterinary watchdog also banned imports of UK poultry Monday.