Russian ban on poultry import from Hungary
Russia has imposed a temporary ban on Hungarian poultry products treated at lower temperatures than 70 degrees Celsius. The ban is a response to recent reports of outbreaks of avian influenza in Hungary, according to Russian and Hungarian officials.
Attila Csorbai, head of the Hungarian poultry product council, says Russia’s ban will have consequences for the export of several thousands of tonnes of mostly duck and goose products to Russia.
H5N8 virus identified
The Hungarian food health authority identified the deadly H5N8 virus in samples from a farm in south-eastern Hungary’s Békés county in late February.
100,000 ducks were slaughtered
According to information provided by Russian veterinary body Rosselhoznadzor, aftter the discovery of the H5N8 virus more than 100,000 ducks were slaughtered at a poultry farm in Füzesgyarmat, in eastern Hungary, where a strain of bird flu was identified last week. Hungary’s chief veterinarian, Lajos Bognár, said that the farm’s entire stock was eliminated.
Preventing outbreaks of avian influenza
It is said that the strain detected at the farm was H5N8 which could infect humans. Rosselhoznadzor fears that the dangerous disease will continue to spread across Europe and says that veterinary services should intensify their efforts for preventing outbreaks of avian influenza.
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