Authorities in Brussels yesterday confirmed two "risk areas" had been set up in Germany to contain a new outbreak of avian flu on a poultry farm in the east of the country.

The European Commission said Germany had applied necessary control measures, required under EU rules, and that the situation would be reviewed next week.

US poultry producers on Tuesday accused Europe of protectionism after efforts by Brussels to resolve the long-standing ban on US imports were rejected by food safety experts. An emphatic vote by veterinary experts in the standing committee on food chain and animal health