The statement, issued by the trade ministry and which listed other livestock and meat products, did not specify how recent a case of bird flu would need to be for the ban to apply.

Trade officials said India does not import livestock or meat products from any country currently affected by bird flu.

"I do not think this will hamper us much as our imports are not from any bird flu-hit countries," said PG Phalke, consultant with the Livestock Industry Association of India.

He said it was an unwritten rule that nobody imports from countries which report bird flu.