Following an outbreak of bird flu in Germany, the European Commission said on Monday they have defined the risk area and confirmed the control measures already in place in Germany.

The German authorities informed the commission on Saturday of an outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in a small holding of 11 chickens in Landkreis Oberhavel, north of Berlin.

The precautionary measures laid down in European Union (EU) legislation are being applied, including the culling of the poultry on the holding and establishment of a 3- km protection zone and 10-km surveillance zone around the outbreak area, said the commission, the executive body of the EU.

In the protection zone, all domestic birds must be kept indoors, poultry cannot be moved, except directly to the slaughterhouse, and meat cannot be dispatched from the zone unless very stringent conditions are met.

Investigations into the source of the outbreak are ongoing, but so far no other holdings in the risk zones have shown any sign of the disease, said the commission.

The disease situation will be reviewed by EU member sates on Wednesday.
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(Xinhua News Agency December 18, 2007)