FSAI plays down threat from bird flu
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said today the threat to public health from avian influenza through the consumption of cooked chicken is "negligible" .
The FSAI said this virus currently can not be passed from human to human but there is concern that potentially the virus could mutate and have an ability in the future to being passed between humans.
So the measure to ban Thai poultry products is in the best interest of public health from a perspective where the virus could mutate in the future.
According to Alan Reilly of the FSAI: "The European Commission announced the ban in the best interest of protecting European bird flocks and on an environmental health basis".
"The European Commission's ban on poultry products from Thailand takes immediate effect and does not apply to meat and meat products from poultry slaughtered before the 1st of January 2004.
"Ireland directly imported 1,200 tonnes of Thai chicken fillets in 2002. These are used in all sectors of the food industry.Consumers should not be concerned as thorough cooking of chicken kills off harmful microorganisms", he added.
The FSAI agreed with the World Health Organization, that any processed poultry products (whole refrigerated or frozen carcasses and products derived from these) arriving from the affected areas, do not pose a risk to public health.
The FSAI said they will continue to monitor the evolution of the current outbreak, along with the Department of Agriculture and Food and the European Commission.
