Bulgaria bans imports of poultry products from Greece

Bulgaria has imposed a ban on live birds and nearly all poultry products from Greece, where the European Union is investigating a possible outbreak of the lethal H5N1 bird flu virus.

Under a decree signed Tuesday by Bulgarian Agriculture Minister Nihat Kabil, the Balkan country suspended imports of all live birds, eggs and poultry meat, except poultry-related products that are proven to be virus-free.

The ban also applies to live poultry inflows which have passed Greece, Turkey and Romania, and are heading for their destinations via Bulgaria.

Bulgaria, so far free of bird flu cases, on Monday announced the ban on imports of all poultry products from Romania and Turkey, and ordered close observation of possibly infected humans.

The deadly H5N1 strain was confirmed last week in Turkey and Romania, two neighboring countries of Bulgaria.

On Monday, Greece reported that preliminary tests had found the bird flu disease in a turkey and narrowed the virus down to the H5 type. Tests are being done to determine whether the virus is the H5N1 strain, which has killed 60 people in Asia.

Source: Xinhua