The Food and Veterinary Regulation Division in the Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry said that according to the European Commission decision of 11 January 2006, Malta, as a member state of the European Union, is to suspend imports of poultry and poultry products from specific regions of Croatia, that is imports from the counties of Viroviticko-Podravska and Osjecko-Baranjska.

This measure has been taken in view of the fact that Croatia has notified the Commission of the suspicion of highly pathogenic avian influenza in that part of its territory, following the isolation of H5N1 virus collected from a clinical case in a wild species.