Bird Flu Traced To Hungarian Fowl Inmported into UK
The poultry company at the centre of the avian flu outbreak admitted yesterday
that lorries from Hungary had made regular visits to its Holton plant, where
almost 160,000 chicks have been culled.
Government vets are investigating urgently possible links between the Bernard
Matthews firm and the outbreak of the H5N1 virus on a goose farm in Hungary ten
days ago. Experts have confirmed that the strain of the virus in Britain is
almost identical to that in Hungary.
Until yesterday, spokesmen for Bernard Matthews had consistently denied to The
Times any possibility of vehicles or staff moving between its plant at Holton
and Hungary.
Transmission of the disease via the droppings of a wild bird is still considered
the most likely source of the infection, but a possible link through the
movement of human beings from Hungary is being investigated. Checks are being
made on vehicles used to transport frozen turkey carcasses to Britain, and to
see if any collections were made from the goose farm on behalf of another
importer.
Investigators are also anxious to trace any drivers or passengers who travelled
to Britain and whether there is any link to the company’s turkey farm operation.
But even if a link is established, it is still difficult to understand how
chicks isolated and enclosed in sheds could have been infected — especially as
there are strict controls on movement between the farm and processing plant.
The possibility of a connection is also expected to be raised at a meeting of
European vets in Brussels today. Experts are baffled as to how the same strain
can appear in wild birds when there has been no obvious recent migration of
birds from the region to Britain.
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said
yesterday that every line of inquiry was being pursued and that Hungary remained
part of the investigation.
But even after admitting regular vehicle journeys yesterday, a spokeswoman for
Bernard Matthews said: “The Hungarian Government’s senior veterinarian had
established that there is no link. Furthermore, Anthony Greenleaves, head of
Veterinary Public Health, has said they are not investigating Bernard Matthews
vehicles or meat from Hungary and do not consider any possible link or risk.”
A spokesman for Mr Greenleaves disputed the company’s version and said that all
options remained under investigation. Within two hours, the company spokeswoman
had to revise its response to say that “investigations carried out to date on
all movements that occurred from and to the farm during the disease-risk period
have not identified any links between the farm and the processing facility”.
There was no senior manager or director at Bernard Matthews willing to give an
interview yesterday. A clean-up of the sheds and gassing zone at the site used
for the cull is expected to begin today. The plant will be closed for at least
30 days but staff had still not been informed by the company yesterday if they
were to be transferred to other units, to be paid for loss of work or to be made
redundant.
Japan and Russia were the first countries to impose a trading ban on poultry
meat and live birds from Britain. Some £370 million a year in export trade is at
stake.
Other countries and areas that also imposed bans yesterday were Hong Kong, South
Africa, South Korea, Macedonia, and Jersey. The Irish Republic and Northern
Ireland also imposed restrictions.
An official at the European Commission said that it would fight any outright ban
on British poultry, adding that there was international agreement that the
export ban should apply only to birds produced within the large exclusion zone
set up around the outbreak.
“Poultry and meat from outside that zone can still be exported,” the official
said.
The industry is still worried that the publicity could dent confidence in the
retail poultry meat market, worth £3.4 billion a year. Even Tony Blair felt it
necessary to make it known that he was happy to carry on eating poultry.
Turkey farmers said that wholesalers were still paying from £3.80 to £4 a kg for
turkey breast meat and that orders were being maintained. Tesco admitted it had
a 1 per cent dip in poultry sales but Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s said sales
were unchanged.
Peter Kendall, the president of the National Farmers’ Union, said: “There are no
risks from eating poultry meat and eggs provided they are cooked properly.”
— A 17-year-old girl in Fayyoum province, Egypt, has died of bird flu, taking
the country’s number of confirmed deaths from the disease to 12, a World Health
Organisation official said. The girl was believed to have been infected after
coming into contact with sick and dead birds. (Reuters)
Birds most likely to bring the disease
Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus from Siberia
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus from Iceland
Mute Swan Cygnus olor resident bird but migration from continent in severe
winter weather
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhnchus from Iceland
Bean Goose Anser fabalis from Scandinavia and northern Russia
Greater White-fronted Goose (European Race) Anser albifrons albifrons from
Russia
Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus from Northern Scandinavia and
eastern Siberia
Greylag Goose Anser anser from Iceland and Scandinavia
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis from Greenland to Spitsbergen)
Brent Goose Branta bernicla dark-bellied birds from Spitsbergen
Canada Goose Branta candadensis resident bird in UK
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope from central Russia
Commmon Teal Anas Crecca from central Russia
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos resident in UK
Northern Pintail Anas acuta from Russia
Garganey Anas querquedula
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata from central Russia
Red-crested Pochard Netta Rufina from Mongolia
Common Pochard Aythya ferina from central Russia
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula from Icceland,central Russia and northern Europe
Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus from the near continent
Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria from Siberia
Blacktailed Godwit Limosa limosa from Iceland
Ruff Philomachus pugnax Scandinavia and eastern Russia
Blackheaded Gull Larus ridibundus from Iceland, the Baltic areaas, eastern
Russia and northern Europe
Common Gull Larus canus Scandinavia
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