Slovenia confirmed its first case of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu yesterday, as EU officials backed wider quarantine zones to contain the growing threat of the virus, writes Daniel McLaughlin in Budapest.
Having already decided to ban imports of untreated feathers, EU veterinary experts agreed to apply a 10km quarantine and surveillance zone around suspected or confirmed outbreaks of avian flu in wild or farm birds.
An additional buffer zone will also be imposed. "These risk areas will help to prevent further spread of the virus and will also provide reassurance to consumers," said a spokesman for the European Commission.