EU urges watch on migrant birds

The European Commission convened a meeting of EU veterinary experts from all Member States, 25 August 2005, to discuss the avian influenza situation in Asia and Russia (Siberia) and which steps should be taken in order to increase vigilance against the disease spreading to the EU. The Commission has asked the Member States to step up surveillance and will make financing available in order to facilitate this effort. A number of actions were agreed at the meeting, including a review of contingency plans and increased vigilance to ensure that existing measures such as import bans are fully enforced. However, a generalised ban on keeping poultry outdoors was not considered proportionate to the current risk of disease introduction through migratory birds.

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