April 25, 2006

EU wants more assistance for poultry farmers

The European Commission will unveil plans to continue sharing the burden of supporting European Union poultry farmers hit by falling chicken sales due to fears of the deadly bird flu virus in recent months.

EU officials will make the proposal when farm ministers meet in Luxembourg Tuesday, EU agriculture spokesman Michael Mann said Monday (Apr 24).

The Commission wants to shift money allocated for farm emergencies to cover the poultry sector, Mann added. Under the plan, the EU will pay half the compensation, leaving the rest to be paid by national governments.

However, the EU would not reimburse governments that have independently launched programmes to compensate struggling poultry farmers, Mann said.

The aid plan "cannot be subject for retroactivity," Mann said.

Some EU countries whose citizens shun chicken for fear of contracting the potentially fatal H5N1 virus want Brussels to shoulder the entire financing burden. Others want to be reimbursed at least in part for money they have already given their farmers.

Bird flu fears have swept Europe since late last year, when first infections were found among migrating birds. Since then, scores of cases have been found, including several outbreaks in poultry farms. France and the Netherlands are trying to stifle consumer fears by vaccinating poultry in certain regions. Poultry farmers in high-risk areas face strict limitations on butchering or selling their birds.