Bird flu drives sales down

BIRD flu fears hit poultry consumption in several EU countries last week, even though cooking chicken at a temperature above 70 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Fahrenheit) destroys the virus.

Infected birds were found in the EU late on Monday, on the Greek island of Inousses, near the border with Turkey. Turkey and Romania had the first cases of the H5N1 strain, which killed more than 60 people in Asia.

In Turkey, sales of poultry had fallen by 50%, said farmers, and a number of restaurants had withdrawn white meat from menus.

In France, poultry deliveries to retailers were down 10% compared with the previous weekend, said the Federation of Avicole Industries.

The Systeme U supermarket chain said sales of poultry meat had fallen as much as 30% in some regions in a few days. In Switzerland, the Migros supermarket chain reported a slight fall in sales.

In Italy, the farmers’ union said last week that sales of poultry had dropped by 30 to 40% because of fears about bird flu, even though Italy does not import poultry.

But a spokesman for Tesco, the UK’s biggest food retailer, said their chicken sales were not affected and sources in the German poultry industry also said demand for chicken remained strong.

Farmers’ organisations in Belgium and the Netherlands said there was no change in chicken sales.

Tight biosecurity measures are now in place across the EU to prevent contact between wild birds and poultry and to introduce early detection systems in high risk areas known to be frequented by migratory birds.