By Brian Johnson - 19th September 2005
The EU needs a coordinated response to the Asian bird flu not Dutch-style “unilateral action”, European Helath Commissioner Markos Kyprianou has warned.
Updating Europe’s farm ministers on Tuesday, the commissioner, stressed that veterinary action was an EU matter, and member states should “not take unilateral action without prior consultation”.
Farmers in the Netherlands were in August instructed to keep all poultry indoors, effectively banning free-range egg production, a move sharply opposed by other member states, including the UK and France.
“It is very important to have a fully coordinated response to animal health threats, and the expert conclusions [show] no extraordinary measures are justified, besides increased surveillance,” said Kyprianou.
And he warned that the European Commission would be examining the legality of any individual action taken by member states.
Kyprianou also discussed the ‘fast track’ progress of an enhanced EU directive on monitoring the spread of bird flu.
The new directive aims to detect and eradicate the different bird flu strains before the have the opportunity to mutate.
The legislation will introduce compulsory surveillance of wild birds across the EU, and is due to come into force by January 2007.
“There has been a lot of progress on the directive, but we feel it’s very important to maintain this effort so we can have it adopted by the December council,” said Kyprianou.
“Given developments, it’s really important to adopt it as soon as possible, preferably before the end of the year.”
And the Cypriot health chief told ministers that he was pleased that many measures foreseen in the proposal were already being implemented by member states in advance of a formal agreement.
The discovery of the virus among migratory birds in central Asia in July had triggered fears that the virus could spread over the winter to Europe.
But scientific opinion on the dangers of avian flu are sharply divided, and the commission and most member states are downplaying the likelihood of the virus spreading, taking the line that there is no imminent threat to poultry farms or human beings in Europe.
The latest outbreak, originating in South East Asia has infected over 100 people killing more than half.
And there are fears that as the virus spreads it could mutate into a ‘high pathogenic strain’ that can be transmitted directly from human to human.
The Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 is thought to have killed up to 50 million people.
Kyprianou also said that he was working closely with the EU’s external relations chief Benita Ferrero-Waldner on the possibility of following up on a February Vietnam ‘action plan’ conference by organising an international pledging conference.
“There is a need to assist in funding these national plans in South East Asia. Without adequate funding these countries will not be able to implement these plans,” said Kyprianou.
“No matter how many steps we take in the EU, our defence will not be effective unless we deal with the problem at its source.”
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