UPDATE 1-European Goldfields slips to H1 loss

* Says trend in co's gold sales encouraging

* H1 pretax loss $1.3 mln vs $4.5 mln profit yr ago

* H1 sales down 13.5 pct (Adds details)

Aug 13 (Reuters) - European Goldfields Ltd EGU.TO EGUq.L slipped to a first-half pretax loss on lower sales as production at its Stratoni mine in Greece was hit by poor mining conditions, but said its gold sales for the period were "extremely encouraging."

In the first half of 2009, the company's 95 percent-owned unit Hellas Gold in Greece sold 58,966 tonnes of gold-bearing pyrite concentrates from its Olympias project, compared with 29,776 tonnes in the same period last year.

Gold prices averaged $915 per ounce in the first six months of this year, compared with $911 per ounce in 2008, it said.

For the six months ended June 30, the company, which has operations in Greece, Romania and Turkey, posted a pretax loss of $1.3 million, against a profit of $4.5 million a year ago. Sales fell 13.5 percent to $26.9 million.

European Goldfields shares closed at 198 pence on Wednesday on the London Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Tresa Sherin Morera in Bangalore; Editing by Vinu Pilakkott)