Following an EC decision, Croatia today rescinded a ban on the export of poultry meat but retained a ban on the export of live poultry, the minister told the press.
He said the EC decision was a big plus for Croatia's economy, notably poultry breeding, which he added was made because Croatia strictly implemented measures prescribed to prevent the spreading of the virus among poultry after confirming the appearance of bird flu.
Cobankovic voiced confidence that Croatia's neighbours would withdraw in the coming days decisions to ban the import of poultry meat from Croatia. He said Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia-Montenegro pledged to set only horizontal disinfection along the borders with Croatia and that they would no longer charge it.
The minister said he sent another decree today to all county veterinary inspection teams throughout Croatia to register, with the police, all who did not comply with the measures prescribed. He added that charges would be pressed against such people and that poultry would be killed without compensation within 20 kilometres of the appearance of the virus if it was kept in the open.
Cobankovic said the killing of poultry within three kilometres from the Grudnjak fish farm was completed.
The damage revolves around one million kuna and the minister expects the government to adopt tomorrow a decision on compensating private farms where poultry was killed.
He said the Poultry Centre had received more than 800 samples so far, mainly of birds reported by members of the public, and that all were negative for bird flu. He added all poultry killed so far had also been negative for bird flu.
The minister said the Weybridge laboratory in Great Britain confirmed yesterday receipt of samples from Croatia and was expected to report on the type of bird flu.
He added that independently of that, Croatian laboratories were examining samples of dead wild birds.