Brussels, 12/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Heath voted on Wednesday in favour of a European Commission proposal to ban the export of live pigs and their semen, ova and embryos from the German land of Rhineland-Palatinate (apart from regions on the east bank of the Rhine) following the discovery of an outbreak of classical swine fever on 5 April. At the same time, the EU's veterinary chiefs decided to extend for a month (until 31 May) the import restrictions for the province of Barcelona (more specifically the "comarcas" of Ripollès, Garrotxa and Selva in the province of Gerona) in Spain, since outbreaks continue to be reported.