Brussels, 19/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health decided to extend Community measures banning exports of live poultry, hatching eggs and fresh, unprocessed poultry manure or litter from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, till the end of the month. The situation will be reviewed at the next committee meeting on 28 May.
Netherlands: the Committee voted in favour of a Commission proposal to extend until 30 May the existing measures. No live poultry, hatching eggs and fresh, unprocessed poultry manure or litter may be exported to other Member States or third countries and, with some derogations, no live poultry and hatching eggs may be transported within the Netherlands. The derogations apply to hatching eggs, day-old chicks, ready-to-lay pullets and poultry for immediate slaughter. To date 252 outbreaks of avian influenza have been confirmed and another 6 holdings are suspected to be contaminated in the Netherlands. In total, approximately 28 million birds have been culled. The last outbreak in a commercial poultry farm dates from 29 April 2003.
Belgium: EU vets have agreed to limit the existing restrictive measures to the provinces of Antwerp and Limburg from 27 May onwards, provided that no new outbreaks are reported before that date. As a result of this, export of live poultry and hatching eggs from the rest of Belgium can restart as from that date. The restrictions in the two provinces apply until 30 May. Eight outbreaks have been confirmed in Belgium since 16 April. However, the last outbreak dates from 28. In total, about 3 million birds have been culled.
Germany: The Committee has extended until 30 May the measures adopted by the Commission on 12 May (see EUROPE 14 may 2003 p 11). However the transport of poultry for immediate slaughter and day-old chicks for breeding originating from an establishment situated east of the Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia to other parts of Germany can be authorised under strict conditions. Germany has also been authorised to vaccinate against influenza of susceptible birds in zoos and in recognised centres for endangered species in the area west of the Rhine of North Rhine-Westphalia. A single outbreak of avian influenza has been reported on 9 May in the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.