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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what agreements are in place with each country which exports poultry feathers to the UK on ensuring that they are not infected with avian influenza; and what measures she has put in place to ensure agreements are adhered to; [221388] (2) what tests are carried out in the UK on poultry feathers imported from East Asian countries to establish whether they are infected with avian influenza. [221390] Mr. Bradshaw: Import requirements for feathers are set in European Union legislation. Imports of unprocessed feathers are prohibited from countries that are currently under restriction due an outbreak of Avian Influenza (HPAI). Community legislation allows import of processed feathers. Every consignment of processed feathers from countries under restriction because of Avian Influenza are veterinary checked at the Border Inspection Post on entry to the EU. Imports of processed feathers from these countries must be accompanied by a commercial document stating that the feathers have been cleaned with a steam current and heated to at least 70 . Unprocessed feathers are banned from countries under restrictions due to Avian Influenza. They would be easily detectable by smell or sight as they are highly susceptible to deterioration in transit and would be foul- smelling. Cleaning feathers with a steam current and heated to at least 70 is considered effective in significantly reducing the quantity of virus, if present, to a negligible level. Therefore no further testing is carried out.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

432 c488-9W; 221388;221390

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Animal products Disease control Import controls Imports Poultry Testing Avian influenza East Asia

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk