Europe slaps ban on live bird imports

The European Union has agreed to slap a ban on pet bird imports from the rest of the world, in its latest attempt to stop the spread of avian influenza across the continent.

The ban, initially valid for a month, came yesterday amid reports of a possible outbreak in Germany, which if confirmed would be the first among birds in the wild in Western Europe.

Concern was raised by the discovery of a lethal strain of bird flu in a parrot that died while in quarantine in Britain last week.

The EU import ban was agreed in Brussels by veterinary experts from the EU's 25 member states, based on proposals drawn up urgently by the European Commission following the British case.

"These measures... Aim to strengthen further the EU's defenses against avian influenza," said the commission in a statement.

In Germany the state government of Rhineland palatinate reported signs of bird flu in birds on a lake at Neuwied, in Western Germany, although it was not immediately known whether the strain was deadly.

Further tests were needed to determine if the birds, found dead on Monday, were carriers of the lethal H5N1 strain of the virus, officials said, adding that the birds could also have absorbed a common poison.

The lake in question is a stopping-off place for birds migrating from Northern Europe, notably swans and coots, local police said.

The new ban covers captive live birds other than poultry imported for commercial purposes, while separate measures were agreed for private imports of pet birds, the commission said.