EU CONFIRMS BIRD FLU IN ROMANIA, BANS IMPORTS

 The European Commission said on Thursday it was banning the import of live birds and poultry from Romania after its experts confirmed that a strain of avian influenza had been detected in samples from a Romanian duck and chicken.

"Given that it has been confirmed that the virus is present in Romania, the Commission will now adopt the same measures already taken for Turkey, last Monday, that is to say a ban on imports of live birds, poultry meat and other poultry products," the Commission said in a statement.

The Commission said its experts had detected the H5 virus strain in two samples taken in a suspected backyard farm in the Danube delta.

"Further tests are necessary to ascertain if the virus in question is the H5N1 strain," it added.

The Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal Health will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to review the situation, and by today a UK laboratory should also be able to ascertain whether the virus isolated in Turkey earlier is the H5N1 strain.