MOSCOW - Russia banned imports of raw vegetables from the European Union on Thursday because of the E.coli outbreak centred in Germany, Russian media cited the head of the consumer protection agency as saying.

Employees of Czech center of national reference laboratories prepare samples of vegetables for molecular testing on EHEC bacteria (bacterium Escherichia coli.) in Brno June 1, 2011. Samples of vegetables imported from various countries are tested for E.Coli at the laboratory. [Photo/Agencies]

"A ban on the import of fresh vegetables from EU countries takes effect from this morning," Rospotrebnadzor head Gennady Onishchenko said, according to the Interfax news agency.

Russia had already banned imports of vegetables from Germany and Spain.