Ukraine's State Service for Food Safety and Consumers' Rights Protection has imposed a ban on imports of birds, poultry and by-products from Bulgaria and Hungary.

According to a posting on its website, referring to information from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), cases of Newcastle disease in Bulgaria and bird flu cases in Hungary were recorded.

Bird flu and Newcastle disease outbreaks among wild birds were recorded in the following European countries: Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

The authority asks companies, which operations are not linked to imports of birds and poultry, to take into account this information.

Newcastle disease is a contagious bird disease affecting many domestic and wild avian species.