EU Bans Wild-Bird
Imports
Member states of the European Union in January agreed on new
bird quarantine and health requirements that equate to a permanent
ban on the import of wild birds, since only captive-bred birds
will satisfy the new requirements, according to the American
Pet Products Manufacturers Association (Greenwich, Conn.).
A temporary ban went into effect in 2005 and subsequently
was extended several times.
The tightened rules for the bird imports are part of the
EU’s strategy to fight H5N1, the highly pathogenic form
of avian influenza.
The new requirements follow British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s
December announcement that he would seek an indefinite ban
on the importation of wild-caught birds. That declaration
prompted the Pet Care Trust (Bedford, United Kingdom) to write
an open letter to Blair asking the government to consult with
stakeholders in the British bird trade on the effect of a
ban, and to compensate bird quarantine businesses for financial
losses.
“A number of bird quarantine stations in the U.K. have
been mothballed over the last 18 months pending the lifting
of the temporary ban in the wild bird trade. Given the market
collapse that these measures have triggered, many are now
faced with financial ruin,” according to the Pet Care
Trust
The new rules take effect July 2007. [March 2007 PET AGE]
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