EU prolongs ban on imports of Asian poultry

EU prolongs ban on imports of Asian poultry

The European Commission decided on Monday to prolong until Dec. 15 a ban on imports of chicken products and pet birds from several Asian countries hit by avian flu.

The commission said that the countries concerned were: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

The current suspension was due to expire on Aug. 15, but the commission said it had extended it until Dec. 15.

The commission said in a statement that it had "adopted a decision to continue the suspension of imports into the EU of chicken products and pet birds from several Asian countries where avian influenza has been confirmed since the beginning of this year".

It said: "In some of these countries, outbreaks of avian influenza still occur and the overall disease situation in the area remains unclear."

At the beginning of this year the virus spread through 10 countries in Asia, killing 16 people in Vietnam and eight in Thailand.

In recent weeks outbreaks have been diagnosed in Thailand, China and Vietnam.

The EU decided on January 23 to suspend imports of poultry from Thailand to prevent the disease from being introduced into Europe. Shortly afterwards it suspended imports of pet birds such as parrots from south east Asia. -- AFP