European Union (EU) health experts have endorsed a European Commission proposal to extend the import ban on Romanian live poultry, poultry meat and poultry products, said the commission on Tuesday.

The import ban will now remain in place until Dec. 31, 2006, subject to review.

At the same time, the ban will now include Brasov county and the four surrounding counties of Covasna, Harghita, Mures and Sibiu in central Romania.

The proposed decision was drafted following several confirmed cases and further suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu in poultry flocks in Brasov over the weekend.

The regionalized ban on Romanian poultry and poultry products already applies to 26 counties, due to outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu which have occurred after October 2005.

Source: Xinhua