Brussels, 05/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - In plenary on 1 December, the European Parliament adopted two reports to update and boost measures to react to an avian flu pandemic if necessary.
Following the recommendations of British Tory rapporteur Neil Parish on the draft directive on EU measures to combat bird flu, MEPs called on Member States to monitor sources of the fatal IAHP virus along with the less dangerous IAFP strand of bird flu. IAFP can mutate into a highly pathological strain with a greater risk of contaminating domestic fowl farms. The rapporteur recommends taking a common sense approach by temporarily restricting the transport and movement of poultry, birds and eggs and setting out protection zones. The MEPs want the culling (rather than 'destruction' as in the first draft) of infected birds, the elimination of their carcasses in situ rather than taking them to other premises so as to restrict the danger of contamination and contagion. Birds in zoos can continue to be kept outdoors if risk assessment so decides, but must be vaccinated to avoid the deaths of rare species. MEPs highlighted the need to improve early warning systems to enable the competent authorities to be immediately informed of any outbreak of the virus, even if judged to be not very pathogenic. Speaking after the vote, Parish said the MEPs' greatest concern was to ensure farms know the rules to apply in the event the virus is detected on their farm, to avoid repeating mistakes from the mad cow crisis. The EP adopted an oral amendment by the rapporteur recognising the special role of hunters when it comes to informing the authorities when they detect the virus among wild birds. On human beings eating poultry, the Commission says that scientific analysis indicates that poultry infected with the not very pathogenic version of the virus can be sold and eaten without any risk to human health, but the EP was sensitive to the rapporteur's arguments that consumers will not buy poultry unless they are sure it is safe. All poultry infected with the less pathogenic version of the virus must be destroyed to avoid undermining consumer confidence, said Parish (a farmer himself). The MEPs want Member States to continue R&D into new multi-strain virus that can be administered orally.
When bird flu is detected in a country outside the EU, the European Parliament has foreseen a number of measures to be taken within 24 hours, some of which have already been implemented by the European Commission when bird flu outbreaks were discovered in countries neighbouring the EU (restricting imports, extending protection zones, supplying vaccines, quarantine, disinfecting airports, etc). It also recommends greater cooperation among Member States, the Commission and the Solna-based European Disease Prevention and Monitoring Centre in Sweden to prepare intervention plans.
If there should be a bird flu pandemic among human beings, the MEPs repeated the need for coordinated action plans to be established as from now, with more vaccines and anti-viral drugs produced for vulnerable groups.
The European Parliament's vote on the report by Ilda Figueriedo (GUE/NGL, Portugal) demonstrated its coherent desire to eradicate the less pathological strain of bird flu. MEPs recommend that Member States and the Commission each pay half the cost of combatting the two forms of bird flu (IAFP and IAHP). The EP believes the Commission should fully finance the cost of vaccination and should co-finance the cost of destroying infected carcasses.
Combatting bird flu is a priority of the British Presidency and the two EP reports will feature on the Council agenda before the end of the year.