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EU ban, poultry industry warns: „We are talking about gigantic losses”
– Should the EU impose a ban on the export of Polish poultry from certain regions of our nation, we are looking at significant losses for the poultry industry – remarked Paweł Podstawka, chairman of the National Federation of Poultry Breeders and Egg Producers.
On Friday, spokesperson for the European Commission, Eva Hrnczirzova, revealed that specific areas in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Łódź, Masovian, Warmian-Masurian, and Greater Poland provinces would be subject to „exceptional measures” due to the threat of bird flu virus transmission. The European Commission is expected to make a decision on this next week.
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Industry: We are facing substantial losses
Paweł Podstawka announced that a meeting between the poultry sector and the Chief Veterinary Officer is scheduled for Friday. He is expected to provide details on the areas that are being negotiated with Brussels that will be impacted by the „exceptional measures”.
– The initial assessments suggest that these measures will not encompass entire voivodeships, as was initially anticipated; rather, the ban will apply to specific counties, with some exemptions and not entirely – clarified the industry representative.
– If the information remains as we understand it, meaning an export ban alongside a prohibition on settlements, we are looking at tremendous losses that this will incur for the Polish poultry industry – he emphasized.
He elaborated that if poultry hatcheries are unable to dispatch poultry from the designated regions, this „automatically leads to the destruction of these chicks, as they cannot be moved out of the zone”. – Additionally, eggs will not be allowed for export, thus they will remain within Poland – he added.
„Complete lockdown of the poultry sector this year”
He remarked that the inability to restock hen houses would mean that new flocks could not be introduced to a particular farm, potentially leading to „a total blockade of the poultry sector this year”.
– The restrictions are expected to last for 30 days, which seems manageable, but there is a significant caveat. If any outbreak occurs within this zone, the ban is extended for an additional 30 days. If bird flu emerges on day 29, we face another 30 days of restrictions – he clarified.
He pointed out that the Wielkopolska province is responsible for 60 percent of egg production. He noted that restrictions will also affect regions in the Mazowieckie province, which is a „major producer of eggs and poultry meat.”
Chief Veterinarian: There will be no ban on poultry exports
Following the meeting between the Polish poultry sector and the government, Chief Veterinary Officer Krzysztof Jażdżewski confirmed that „there will be no embargo on poultry exports from areas under EU restrictions; intra-Community trade will be allowed”. He mentioned to PAP that he would prefer not to comment officially on the final agreements with the EU side yet, as these matters are still undergoing intensive negotiations.
He stressed that the initial proposal from the EC „was entirely unacceptable” and the current one remains „very challenging to accept”. He indicated that he does not wish to disclose other potential restrictions at this time to avoid jeopardizing the negotiations and presenting unverified outcomes. – We will strive to minimize the most severe restrictions possible – he asserted.
Jażdżewski stated that the final delineation of the zones affected by EU restrictions is nearing completion. – Regarding the specific areas, we have managed to categorize them into two clusters, one for Wielkopolska and another for Masovian-Warmian-Masurian – he added. He clarified that this is significant because if an outbreak occurs in one cluster, it will not impact the other.
Ministry of Agriculture on EU restrictions
The Ministry of Agriculture, in response to inquiries from PAP, reported that there are currently 78 bird flu outbreaks in Poland, with 37 of these in the Wielkopolska province (12 reported in April this year alone). Due to the high number of outbreaks, it added, „the European Commission, considering the very unstable epizootic situation regarding highly pathogenic bird flu, has announced the implementation of additional restrictions”.
The ministry further stated that the „extraordinary measures” established by the Commission regulation would mainly focus on „prohibiting new farms in the area subject to restrictions until the epidemic is brought under control”. It explained that such action, according to the EC, is intended to facilitate „dilution of the population of animals susceptible to infection with the virus”. This, in turn, aims to limit the potential for further outbreaks of the disease.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development assured that the Veterinary Inspection authorities „are engaged in intensive discussions with the European Commission to minimize territorial restrictions and to secure exemptions for the movement of other poultry-derived products and for the operations of poultry hatcheries.”
Poland stands as the largest
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