Brussels, 26/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 27 October, the European Commission was given the go-ahead by the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Heath (SCFCAH) to banning imports (from outside the EU) of exotic birds other than poultry for commercial purposes but not birds for zoos. Pet birds accompanying their owners will be allowed into the EU after 30 days in quarantine. The movement of birds accompanying their owners is not restricted for Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein Andorra, Iceland, Greenland, Faeroe Islands and San Marino. The decisions will apply until 30 November, 2005, by which time SCFCAH will review the situation.
On Wednesday, following reports in the media about an EU recommendation to stop eating raw eggs and cook poultry at a temperature of at least 70 degrees C, a spokesperson for the European Commission, Philip Tod, read a statement to journalists stressing the importance of veterinary and health checks in the Member States and the application of traceability rules from farm to plate. This means that poultry and poultry products are fit to eat in the EU (in answer to a question, he said the Commission has ruled out any danger from eating raw poultry and eggs, but there were the usual bacteriological risks). He said imports from countries where there have been outbreaks of bird flu have been banned and any outbreak of the disease in the EU would lead to an automatic ban. He said there were no documented cases of human beings being infected with the H5N1 as a result of eating poultry products.
In the afternoon, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a press release in Parma (Italy) pointing out the dangers of potential salmonella infection from eggs. 'While it is unlikely that H5N1 could be passed on to humans by raw meat or eggs, cooking food properly would inactivate the virus and eliminate this potential risk,' explains the EFSA.
The European Commission spokesperson confirmed that the wild swans found dead in Croatia at the end of last week were indeed infected with H5N1.