Brussels, 27/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 27 August, the European Commission adopted a decision confirming high-risk areas set up by the Italian authorities further to the outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza discovered in poultry farms in Emilia-Romagna.
During the extraordinary meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCOFCAH) held in Brussels, the Italian authorities outlined the very stringent measures adopted to control the disease, reduce its impact on the poultry sector and prevent any potential human health risk. The measures applied in Italy were endorsed by member states and are reflected in the Commission's decision.
Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) were reported in three poultry holdings in the Emilia-Romagna region: Ostellato (province of Ferrara), Mordano (province of Bologna), and Portomaggiore, close to Ostellato. The outbreaks occurred on 15, 21 and 23 August 2013 respectively. Two holdings are egg-producing farms, with a total of 700,000 laying hens, and the third holding farms turkeys. In order to control the spread of the virus, the Italian authorities are applying the measures set out by Council Directive 2005/94/EC, notably the slaughter of birds and the setting up of protection and surveillance zones around the affected areas. In these zones, strict movement restrictions on poultry and poultry products apply, while specific veterinary checks are ongoing.
The Italian authorities have also established a further restricted zone covering the eastern part of Emilia-Romagna and the very south-eastern part of Veneto where movement restrictions and surveillance apply to commercial farms holding laying hens, and to poultry and turkey breeders. A complete list of municipalities falling within the zones is provided in the annex of today's Commission decision. Enhanced monitoring and bio-security measures have also been put in place on the whole poultry sector in Italy. The risk of transmission of bird flu to humans is very low. (LC/transl.jl)