February 23, 2006

EU approves vaccination for French and Dutch poultry
 

The EU Wednesday endorsed plans by the governments of France and the Netherlands to vaccinate poultry against bird flu.

France will vaccinate 900,000 geese and ducks in the high-risk wetland regions. Vaccination will begin immediately and is expected to last until Apr 1. Exports of vaccinated meat will go through normal channels, but live vaccinated birds would not be exported.

In the Netherlands, the plan would affect between 6 million and 8 million birds. Dutch poultry farmers could either move their poultry indoors or vaccinate all free-range laying hens and noncommercial flocks. Vaccinated laying hens would not be exported outside the EU, the European Commission said.

EU bird flu experts and government officials agreed on the measures Wednesday with Germany, Austria and Portugal questioning the safety and efficiency of vaccination. Other countries also expressed concerns that consumers may shun vaccinated poultry.

Intervet, the animal vaccine branch of Dutch pharmaceuticals company Akzo Nobel SA (AZKOY), will supply vaccines to France while potential suppliers of bird flu vaccine for the Netherlands include Fort Dodge Animal Health, a division of Wyeth, and Merial, which is held jointly by Merck & Co and Sanofi-Aventis.

The H5N1 bird flu virus has been detected in eight European states: Greece, Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Slovenia, Slovakia and Hungary.