EU extends import ban on captive birds upto March

Brussels, Dec 2: European Union veterinary experts have extended a ban on all imports of captive live birds from outside the bloc for a further three months to guard against the spread of bird flu, the European Commission said.

The ban would now remain in force until March 31, 2007.

''Originally, the Commission had not intended to extend this ban. Instead, it had intended to amend the entire set of provisions for captive bird imports, including quarantine requirements,'' it said in a statement yesterday.

The Commission, the EU's executive arm, said it needed more time to assess an opinion delivered last month by the EU's leading food safety agency EFSA on the animal health and welfare risks associated with live bird imports.

Once it had done so, new measures would be proposed for regulating EU imports of captive birds, the statement said.

''The aim is to put forward a proposal on these measures in early 2007. Given the global avian influenza situation, it was deemed necessary to keep the current import ban in place until these new protection measures are in place,'' it said.

Earlier this week, the veterinary experts agreed to prolong a similar ban for imports of pet birds until the end of 2007.

Bird flu, which originated in Asia, remains essentially an animal disease but has infected nearly 260 people worldwide since late 2003, killing more than 150, according to the World Health Organisation.

Experts say the danger is that the virus will evolve and spark a pandemic that could kill millions of people.

REUTERS