HAMBURG, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Germany expects the European Union to restrict exports of poultry and poultry products from the region where the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu was found over the weekend, the country's Agriculture Ministry said on Monday.

The EU Commission was likely to announce a ban on poultry and poultry products from the 13 km radius protection zone around the farm in the southern state of Bavaria where the outbreak was discovered on Saturday [ID:nL2594899], a ministry spokeswoman said.

Investigations were still under way to find the cause of the outbreak on the farm, where 160,000 birds were culled as a precautionary measure, she said.

Officials discovered the infection after more than 400 ducks at the farm died within a short period.

Germany discovered several cases of the deadly H5N1 strain in wild birds in Bavaria and other states in June and July. But no cases were discovered on commercial farms.

Earlier this week, Russia banned poultry imports from Italy to prevent the spread of bird flu after outbreaks there.

Globally, the H5N1 virus has killed 195 people out of 322 known cases, according to the World Health Organisation. Hundreds of millions of birds have died or been slaughtered.

The vast majority of bird flu deaths have been in Asia. No deaths have yet been registered in the European Union.

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