December 13, 2007

Poland to resume poultry exports to Russia as fifth bird flu case reported

Russia and Poland have reached an agreement to resume exporting poultry meat and other animal products from Poland to Russia, even as the country reports its fifth case of bird flu.

Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev told journalists following a meeting with his Polish counterpart Marek Sawicki that Russia has agreed to poultry imports.

He added that the parties had agreed to continue supplying products on which a number of restrictions had been placed earlier.

However, some restrictions can still be imposed on products with veterinary risks, such as bird flu.

A memorandum on Russia and Poland's cooperation in veterinary and phytosanitary control is to be signed in Kaliningrad next week, Gordeyev said. The Minister concluded that only high quality Polish food would be exported to Russia.

Meanwhile authorities reported a H5N1 bird flu case has been found in wild birds at a fifth site.

A stork and two buzzards, which died from the virus, were being kept at a wild bird rehabilitation centre in northeastern Poland.

Emergency services set up a safety perimeter around the site. The rehabilitation centre is home to several other wild birds, including cranes and swans.

Poland has suffered a series of recent outbreaks. The first was discovered at a turkey farm 80 km (50 miles) northwest of Warsaw earlier this month.

Poland is a major poultry producer in the EU, exporting 230,000 tonnes of poultry within the region last year.