Chances of catching bird flu from cooked chicken ‘negligible’

THE threat to public health from bird flu through eating cooked chicken is negligible, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland said yesterday.

It said a European Commission ban on poultry products from Thailand was imposed mainly because of animal health and environmental concerns Ireland, which took similar steps, directly imported 1,200 tonnes of chicken from Thailand in 2002.

No live flocks of chicken or hatching eggs are imported into Ireland or the EU from countries in the Far East where the bird flu is spreading. The key source of human infection is direct contact with infected birds.

FSAI acting chief executive Alan Reilly said consumers should not be concerned as thorough cooking of chicken kills off harmful micro-organisms. “The threat to public health from avian influenza through the consumption of cooked chicken is negligible,” he said.

Mr Reilly said Thai poultry products could, however, pose a problem to flocks if, for example, a discarded infected raw chicken fillet was consumed by birds or poultry in Ireland or Europe. This bird could then pass the virus onto other birds and flocks.

Currently, the virus cannot be passed from human to human but there is concern it could mutate

Agriculture and Food Minister Joe Walsh said he has taken the necessary steps to ban the importation of poultry products and feathered game from Thailand. He said the health risk to humans from poultry products was negligible

Labour spokeswoman Mary Upton welcomed the EU ban but said the Government must now ensure the withdrawal of all such poultry products from the Irish market.

IFA Poultry Committee chairman Alan Graham assured consumers that fresh high-quality Irish poultry products are freely available in the shops and there will not be any shortage as a result of the ban on Thai imports.

ICSA president Malcolm Thompson urged consumers to opt for beef and lamb until Ireland can be absolutely certain of the safety of imported poultry products.

The ban was proposed by EU Food Safety Commissioner David Byrne and swiftly endorsed after confirmation from Thailand of an outbreak of bird flu in poultry.

“There is no evidence of a problem in Europe and this measure is purely a precaution,” a commission spokeswoman said.