European Commission health spokesman Philip Tod today urged carrying out tests on dead birds found in Croatia to find out whether the country has avian flu.
Pavic said that Croatia had started monitoring birds of its own accord two years ago and that it had been in contact with all relevant EU institutions.
All 500 tests carried out so far on domestic poultry were negative for bird flu virus, as were all tests carried out on wild birds from Vransko Lake.
Pavic said that citizens had been contacting the ministry frequently and reporting cases of dead birds.
Four dead starlings were discovered near Zagreb on Saturday morning and three dead birds were reported in the northern Adriatic city of Pula.
Pavic believes that the cause of the death of those birds was not bird flue, but that they were shot dead or died after running into houses or other obstacles.
The results of the tests to be carried out on the birds are expected in about five days.