January 16, 2007

EU ban on wild bird imports would not stop bird flu

The European Commission's lifting of the ban on live poultry imports, while keeping the ban on wild birds would not stop bird flu, a UN body said.

The UN's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) said it doubted the step would have any impact in preventing the spread of infectious diseases such as bird flu.

A recent analysis by the conservation alliance Birdlife International showed that only a small portion of the world's bird species appear to be significantly threatened by international trade.

CITES said the international wild bird trade is already subject to stringent controls, and has declined from an estimated 7.5 million birds a year in 1975 to around 1.5 million today.

On the other hand, global trade in live domestic poultry involves some 750 million birds a year.