March 28, 2006

 

EU poultry sales making a comeback as fears subside

 

 

Poultry sales are slowly recovering across Europe as the wave of bird flu cases in recent months slowed down to a trickle, officials said.

 

Despite signs of recovery, sales are still weak in some regions and experts warn that the spring migration of wildfowl from Africa could soon bring fresh cases of bird flu to Europe.

 

The European Commission has called on farmers to cut production, but has not offered any financial compensation.

 

European Union governments are expected to draw up rules on measures to support prices next month.

 

In France, which has the largest poultry industry in the EU, sales are now around 10 percent down from the same period last year.

 

Sales in France were some 30 percent down a few weeks ago and the H5N1 outbreak at a turkey farm caused more than 50 countries to impose controls on French poultry imports.

 

In Germany, sales of poultry recovered slightly in the last week after having been battered the last few weeks, industry association ZDG said. In early March, the ZDG said poultry sales had fallen over 20 per cent from previous levels because of bird flu.

 

Meanwhile, Dutch poultry farmers and exporters said domestic sales of chicken meat and eggs had not been affected but exports were suffering. The Netherlands is among the world's top poultry exporters and Europe's second biggest producer.

 

The country is waiting for Germany to recover as it is their core market and exports have fallen by 25 percent, according to Dre van de Riet, spokesman for the Livestock, Meat and Eggs Board. About 70 percent of the Dutch poultry exports go to Germany.

 

Sales have been strong in Britain, where no cases have been reported in wild or farmed birds.

 

The scare has run its course and consumers have been kept up to date on bird flu so British consumers are making an informed decision when they buy poultry, said Richard Griffiths, senior executive officer at the British Poultry Council.