Brussels, 06/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 6 February, the EU Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal Health decided to rubberstamp the measures taken by the United Kingdom to stop the spread of the bird flu outbreak in the UK, particularly the exclusion zone around the contaminated farm. The European Commission and its veterinary experts did not recommend taking any measures at EU level but urged member states to review their surveillance and control measures for poultry and wild birds, and ensure that in high risk areas (particularly around water sources) poultry be kept in closed buildings.
After the meeting of EU member states' chief veterinary officers, the European Commission welcomed the way the British authorities were dealing with the outbreak of bird flu in a turkey farm in Suffolk (southern England). The standing committee approved the decisions of the British authorities in line with EU legislation, namely to cull all poultry on the farm in question, establishing an exclusion zone at farms in proximity to the outbreak, banning the transport of poultry within 3 km of the outbreak and increasing surveillance on all poultry farms within 10 km of the outbreak.
In concrete terms, Suffolk is added to the list of areas subject to restrictions since the start of 2007, in the same way as the parts of Hungary affected by bird flu. Some people, in France and in the United Kingdom, have wondered if there was a possible link between the British farm and one of its subsidiaries in Hungary. Neither is the British expert certain that migrating birds were responsible for the contamination, since there are so few in Suffolk. The suggestion that the disease was spread through seagulls is the one favoured, even though no dead gulls have been found.
To limit the risks of the disease spreading, France has decided to strengthen rules on monitoring wide and farmed birds, to ban the release of pigeons which would leave from or fly over countries where there have been outbreaks, and to ban the transport of “callers”, birds used in game hunting. These measures are on top of those currently in force (protecting the feeding and watering of animals and not using watering places in the open air). Sweden has reinforced monitoring of wild birds on its south coast (where geese, ducks and swans winter). The Netherlands has taken the bull by the horns, ordering all poultry to be kept inside.
Russia, Japan, South Korea and Ukraine have banned the import of British poultry. These embargoes are “not justified” and the Commission will do all in its power to convince the trading partners of this, a Commission spokesman said. (lc)