16/02/2007

Inquiry reveals bird flu link to Hungary

Government scientists have revealed that imported poultry from Hungary is the “most plausible” cause of the outbreak of bird flu in the UK.

This follows a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs inquiry into the epidemic at the Bernard Matthews plant in Suffolk.

The department said there was “little evidence” of wild fowl spreading the H5N1 strain that was found, and that this would have been “highly unlikely”.

Scientists have confirmed the strain of bird flu found in Suffolk was “essentially identical” to the virus found in Hungary.

A ban was imposed on 8 February and around 160,000 turkeys were slaughtered following the outbreak.

Bernard Matthews broke his silence on Thursday, when he told the Daily Mirror the allegations of a cover-up over his farms links to Hungary, were “completely untrue.”

He said: “I’ve been upset about allegations that we may have withheld information.”

“Let me be absolutely clear – it’s my name on the packet and I wouldn’t let it go out to the shelves if I thought there was anything wrong with it.”

Food Standards Agency officials have cleared Bernard Matthews products, and they have been released for sale on Wednesday, following Hungarian officials confirming they did not contain meat from a restricted zone.


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