Review wild bird ban

28november2006
Source: Animal protection and EFSA
The panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has declared that importing birds which are caught in the wild causes problems for their welfare.
There is also a danger of importing contagious diseases such as bird flu. The committee proposes therefore to question the import of wild birds again.

Europe is the largest importer of wild caught birds, mostly for trading purposes. With regard to bird flu, there is a current ban for wild caught birds from outside of Europe. This ban expires on 31 December and is thus due for review shortly.