The European Commission has announced it is taking further action following the confirmation on October 12 of the presence of avian influenza H5 virus in Romania and the results from the EU laboratory on October 13 indicating that the avian influenza virus in Turkey is H5N1 closely related to a virus detected in a wild bird in central Asia a few months ago. The measures will be discussed at an emergency meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health in Brussels.

The Commission is adopting a decision to ban imports of live birds, poultry meat and other poultry products from Romania following new tests by EU experts, which identified the presence of Avian Influenza. Imports of live birds and feathers from Turkey have been banned since October 9 following the finding of Avian Influenza there.

Further actions decided by EU Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou are:

-          A Commission framework decision on preventive measures and increased bio-security (hygiene), which will be presented at the Committee meeting.  Member States will take appropriate measures to reduce the risk of transmission of avian influenza.

-          An emergency meeting of experts on avian influenza and migratory birds will be held on October 14 to evaluate the risk that migratory birds may pose for the EU. The experts’ group will then issue recommendations on the potential risk for humans in contact with such birds.

-          The offer of EU and Member State experts to assist Romania, Turkey and other countries which are concerned about suspected cases of avian influenza.