MANILA - The Philippines' Department of Agriculture said on Thursday it has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products from France, South Korea and the Netherlands, where the H5N8 avian flu virus has been detected.

The Philippines' import ban has been widened weeks after first temporarily halted poultry purchases from Poland from last month because of the outbreak of the highly pathogenic strain.

(Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) ((enrico.delacruz@tr.com;))