October 24, 2005

EU considers banning imports of wild birds

The EC will decide on Oct 25 on a possible import ban on live wild birds, as called for by the British government after a South American parrot died from the pathogenic bird flu virus while in quarantine there, EU spokesman Stefaan De Rynck said.

The first confirmed case of H5N1 in the EU, the parrot proved that other than migratory birds, the global trade in exotic birds risks spreading the H5N1 virus.

The EC has previously considered such a move counterproductive because it would encourage a black market outside the current health and quarantine controls.

However the British proposal, which will be raised at an EU agricultural ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Oct 24 or 25, has the backing of some other EU member states.

A spokesman for Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said imports of poultry, which are domesticated birds, would still be allowed.

In the meantime, health experts from more than 50 countries will gather in Copenhagen on Oct 24 to assess the response to bird flu, amid concerns the H5N1 could cause a global pandemic as it mutates into a form easily transmitted between humans.

Also on Oct 24, health ministers and experts from 30 countries are scheduled to meet in Ottawa, Canada, to establish a coordinated international front against bird flu and to prepare for a possible flu pandemic.