Brussels, 17/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission said on Monday 17 November that it is satisfied with the measures taken by the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to prevent the spread of bird flu after cases of the disease were found in poultry farms. The EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health will take stock on Thursday 20 November.
“The measures taken by the national authorities of the two countries are appropriate” and “the protocols have been followed” in line with European rules, said Commission spokesperson Enrico Brivio. The Dutch authorities have even “gone beyond” the Community measures laid down, decreeing a temporary ban on the transport of poultry, eggs and manure. “The authorities have put a block on the meat and products affected”. The affected area, in the centre of the country, has “perhaps the heaviest concentration of poultry farms in Europe”, he noted.
The Dutch authorities discovered a highly pathological strain, H5N8, of avian influenza - or bird flu. The 150,000 chickens on the farm were destroyed. H5N8, a variant that is fatal for poultry, can be transmitted to humans who come into contact with infected birds. This variant had been confined to Asia, before the first case in Europe was detected in Germany at the start of the month.
A case of bird flu was also discovered in a duck farm in the north of England. The farm has been placed in quarantine and the 6,000 destroyed.
Implementing decisions. On Monday 17 November, the Commission approved an implementing decision on provisional protection measures as a result of the discovery of the highly pathological subtype H5N8 of bird flu in the Netherlands. A further decision relates to the United Kingdom. These implementing decisions put in place demarcated protection and surveillance zones (Directive 2005/94/EC).
In cases of bird flu, the EU requires a protection zone within a three-kilometre radius of the farm and a surveillance zone within a ten-kilometre radius. According to a European expert, the disease was most probably carried by migrating swans on their way south. If this is the case, outbreaks in France, Italy and Spain are to be expected. (LC)