MOSCOW, February 5 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has imposed a temporary ban on poultry imports from Britain following a bird flu outbreak, the agricultural watchdog said Monday.
The watchdog said it banned imports of poultry meat, eggs and other poultry products, as well as feed and equipment used on poultry farms, following a recent bird flu outbreak in Suffolk, in the east of the country.
The watchdog said it has also asked the British veterinary service for additional information on the spread of bird flu in order "to examine the possibility of using the regional principle for future imports of poultry products from Britain to Russia."
The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has claimed dozens of human lives since it first appeared in Asia in 2003. It has since spread worldwide, and scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form transmissible between humans, sparking a global pandemic.
