France raises bird flu risk level, no new measures
Source: Reuters
PARIS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The risk of bird flu reaching French poultry farms has risen slightly since the deadly disease hit Britain but not enough to reintroduce any bans on keeping poultry outside, the government said on Monday. France, already which had vigilance measures in place before bird flu cases were found in Hungary last month and Britain at the weekend, raised its official risk level from "negligible" to "weak," the agriculture ministry said in a statement. The new level only requires reinforced surveillance of wild birds. Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin is to hold a meeting of the ministries involved on Tuesday to agree neasures to be implemented in the coming days. Britain culled more than 150,000 turkeys at the weekend and extended restrictions on the movement of poultry to prevent the spread of H5N1 avian influenza. France's decision was taken based on a recommandation by French food safety agency AFSSA. "In the coming days and weeks, any indication of a worsening of the situation in Britain, such as new cases in wild birds or in farms, will lead AFSSA to re-evaluate the risk level," the agency said in a statement.
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