Brussels, 12/03/2004 (Agence Europe) - All imports of live poultry, poultry-based meat and products, hatching eggs and eggs for human consumption from Canada to the EU have been suspended until at 6 April at the earliest. The detection of a bird 'flu outbreak in a poultry flock on the west coast of the country (British Columbia), which was confirmed on 9 March by the Canadian authorities, has led to this emergency embargo ruled by the Commission on Thursday with immediate effect. Member State experts, who met in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, will confirm this decision on 22 March.
Even though this strain of the virus, which is highly pathogenic, is not the same as the Asian strain and probably poses less of a risk to public health, the Commission has said in a press release that "in view of the risk of animal disease introduction into the EU, immediate action is appropriate". Other measures may be proposed, depending on the detailed information the Canadian authorities will hand over to the Commission on the situation and measures taken to bring the disease under control.
The Canadian authorities immediately reacted to the European decision, stating that they had set up a controlled zone in the infected area to stop the virus from spreading. They intend to call upon the EU to "recommence trade with Canada", according to AFP.
The European Union is a major importer of hatching eggs from Canada. In 2003, it imported some 15 million (one-third of all imports of these eggs into the EU) with a value of 10.5 million EUR. In the same year, the EU imported around 170,000 day-old chicks. The import of Canadian poultry meat and products, however, is negligible (50 tonnes of duck cuts in 2003).