Turkey meat danger 'ignored' by Defra

THE UK government allowed turkey meat from an area of Hungary affected by bird flu to be imported by Bernard Matthews despite concern that the area was the source of the British outbreak, it was claimed last night.

According to a newspaper report, a consignment of 20 tonnes of turkey was imported last Tuesday from a slaughterhouse in Hungary, three days after the avian flu was confirmed at the Bernard Matthews plant in Suffolk.

Government inspectors knew the meat was being imported but did nothing to halt it, according to the report.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has admitted it had the power to halt such imports but did not use it for fear of retaliation from other countries.

The meat came from a slaughterhouse only 30 miles away from the part of Hungary affected by bird flu. It means the meat - which could have been contaminated with the virus - was taken into the exclusion zone set up around Holton.

The revelation is certain to lead to renewed criticism of the government over the way it handled the outbreak. Peter Ainsworth, the shadow environment secretary, said the government was guilty of "extraordinary complacency".

He told the Sunday Times: "It beggars belief that the government could have been so casual about the virus being brought in on imported meat."

It was also claimed last night that a farm less than 20 miles from the epicentre of the Hungarian bird flu outbreak supplied a Bernard Matthews subsidiary there. Hungarian farmers alleged Saga Foods, owned by Bernard Matthews, receive poultry from a farm near to the goose farms hit by the H5N1 virus last month.

The government has promised to investigate the claims, but a spokesman for Bernard Matthews insisted all their paperwork was in place and they abided by regulations.

Despite the ongoing bird-flu crisis, British consumers appeared to be holding their nerve and supermarkets claimed there had been no drop in poultry sales.

Despite an investigation by the Food Standards Agency into whether turkey products on shop shelves could be infected, the big food chains said there had been no significant drop in sales.

A spokeswoman for Asda said the outbreak in Suffolk had made "absolutely no impact" on sales of chicken, turkey or duck.

And while Tesco and Sainsbury said they had both seen small drops in sales, they said this may have been caused by the bad weather.

The supermarkets' claims came as experts played down the risk posed to humans by any infected poultry that had made it into the shops.

The government has warned that a recall might be necessary if the FSA finds it has spread to the food chain.

But Paul Hunter, professor of health production at the University of East Anglia, said: "The reason the FSA will not rule out a product recall has nothing to do with risk to human health.

"The major reason for recalling products would be to prevent the virus re-entering the bird population. If a contaminated product was discarded and eaten by birds there is the potential for this to cause a further outbreak."

Hunter said it was "very unlikely" that food had been contaminated and pointed out that even if it had, the virus would then die after a few days.

It now appears that the message of the low level of risk has been transmitted to shoppers, who are continuing to buy poultry as normal.

The reason for the low level of risk is also due to the fact that the virus does not bind well to the human gut, meaning that even if it was eaten, infection would be unlikely.

Those people who have contracted bird flu across the world are all thought to have caught it by breathing it in, as the primary method of infection is through the lungs.

Health experts say that as a precaution, however, people should ensure they wash their hands before and after handling meat. They also say that poultry should not be washed under a tap as this can produce airborne particles which can then be breathed in.

The FSA has also urged consumers not to eat raw eggs or use raw eggs in dishes which will not be cooked. They say eggs should be cooked until the whites are solid.

Nigel Horrox, the president of the British Veterinary Poultry Association, said the risk from bird flu-contaminated meat was "virtually zero".

He urged that any recall be based on "scientific facts, not political emotion" and that action should be proportionate to the "real risks".

"Scientifically there is no real basis for a product recall. What government wants to do on social, political, legal or commercial grounds is its business, but it should be careful not to set a precedent that it could come to regret," he said.

Bernard Matthews has insisted its products are safe and consumers are not at risk.