Avian flu fears raise demand for local poultry

An outbreak of avian influenza in Malta could be avoided if poultry breeders are very careful in what they do, Food and Veterinary Regulatory Division director Mireille Vella said.

The fact that chickens are not free range but are mostly reared indoors works in Malta's favour, she said.

This was reiterated by a number of chicken breeders and slaughterers, who also believe that fears of contracting the virus have led to the demand shifting from imported to local poultry products.

"I get the feeling that people are afraid of buying imported poultry products," Joseph Garcia, the owner of Chickx, said.

Fears of avian influenza reached new heights in the past days as the virus was found in Turkish birds and amid fears of possible infection in Romania.

The major fear is that the virus which is affecting birds could in time mutate and start spreading easily from person to person, causing the next influenza pandemic, which experts believe is overdue.

All precautions are being taken by breeders in Malta to ensure that their chickens do not get sick, which would lead to mass culling.

Buxom Poultry Ltd director Edward Borg did not mince his words when contacted. "The only way to really curb a disease like this would be to take the drastic measure of killing all the poultry in the world," he said.

But Malta had an advantage over other countries because chickens were reared inside and were not free range. Mr Garcia believes that the fact that Malta is an island could also work in its favour.

"Many people ask for free range products but in this case rearing them inside is a plus," Mr Garcia said.

Mr Borg and Smina Poultry Products' owner Josephine Spiteri agreed explaining that rearing chickens indoors meant that no infected birds could go near the poultry.

Questioned about this, Dr Vella said the avian flu is mostly transmitted either mechanically - if a person carries infected faeces into an area where poultry is kept - or if the poultry drink infected water.

Asked about consumers' reactions, the breeders and slaughterers said fears have led to a decrease in demand for imported products, which was replaced by demand for local produce.

However, Mr Borg emphasised that nobody should be afraid of getting avian influenza through eating chicken, primarily because the virus is transmitted through inhalation and not through ingestion and, secondly, because when the chicken is cooked properly the heat kills the virus.

Mr Garcia felt people were "panicking" needlessly.

Joseph Aquilina, owner of The Golden Chick, said about one in 20 people enquired about the risks of avian influenza.

Breeders are working in collaboration with the veterinary division to ensure the highest controls and standards. Mrs Spiteri said the division had sent breeders a list of the symptoms which they should be on the look out for. In addition, they were urged to report any extra deaths on their farm. She pointed out that as a slaughterer she did not accept dead birds.

"Consumers should put their minds at rest," she said.

The veterinary division is keeping the issue very high on its agenda, and is constantly in contact with the European Commission. On Monday, it immediately applied a European Union-wide ban on the importation of both live birds and poultry products from Turkey after a high-level meeting between officials of the Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry and representatives of the division.