Brussels, 20/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 17 March, the European Commission adopted a decision banning the import into EU countries of poultry and poultry products from Israel, following confirmation from the Israeli authorities of an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu. Between 2002 and 2004, the EU imported annually an average of 1.9 million euro worth of live birds from Israel, and 8.3 million euro of poultry meat. According to the decision, which will remain in force until 31 May 2006, Member States will suspend imports from Israel of: - live poultry, ratites, farmed and wild game birds, and hatching eggs form these species of bird; - fresh meat from poultry, ratites, farmed and wild game birds; - minced meat, meat dishes, mechanically de-boned meat and meat-based products or products containing meat from the species named; - raw pet feeds and unprocessed raw materials for animal feeds; eggs for human consumption, untreated birds of all kinds killed through hunting. Given the incubation period of the virus, meat from poultry slaughtered before the 15 February can still to be marketed in the EU.
The H5N1 strain was discovered in two kibbutzim (collective farms) in the South of Israel, near the Gaza Strip, following the death of 11,000 turkeys. Both farms have been placed under quarantine and all birds have been slaughtered.