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If you're anything like me, you've been watching the approach of the bird flu virus with somewhat distant but rising concern.
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Belgium has been spared any outbreak, but news this morning raised my eyebrows a notch or two: six chickens found dead in Haren. It was later found that a fox was the likely culprit.
Despite the happy ending (except for the chooks, bless them), stories such as these add to the public perception of assumed dangers.
Yes, I expressed to my wife over the weekend a reduced enthusiasm for eating chicken in the near future.
Thoughts like these have led to plummeting poultry sales in Italy and Greece, where the bird flu has already been discovered. The Belgian industry was also hard hit during the autumn migratory period of wild birds last year.
EU experts were meeting on Monday to discuss ways in which to help the poultry industry.
But experts have also said avian flu is not a food-borne virus, so eating chicken is safe. Only people involved in the slaughter and preparation of meat are said to be at threat.
Nevertheless, the World Health Organisation advises that all meat should be cooked to a temperature of at least 70 degrees Celsius. Eggs should also be thoroughly cooked.
Okay, duly noted.
But turning our thoughts back to Belgium, it is worth noting that France, Germany and the Netherlands have imposed compulsory lock-up orders for poultry. Belgium, on the other hand has not.
Belgian experts were meeting today to discuss bringing the scheduled 1 March lock-up order forward by one week.
Considering the swift spread of the virus, this writer suggests the nation should err on the side of caution and that such a decision should have been taken last week.
In the meantime, I will leave you with one last, but simple, piece of advice heard on the television news: don't touch any dead bird.
You can't say I didn't warn you.
Aaron Gray-Block
Editor
Expatica Belgium
20 February 2006
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Dear editor,
Noted your comments about eating chicken. Glad you also reported some sensible facts (along with your own view), which I would like to build on.
Apparently, the bird flu virus (and all viruses) are killed by just a few seconds at 70 degrees Celsius. Most people cook a chicken for a great deal longer and at much higher temperature (roast for 90 minutes at 160-180 degrees), so I would certainly have no qualms about eating well-cooked chicken.
It is incumbent on the media not to spread panic and create more unnecessary hardship on a poultry industry that will suffer enough anyway. I hope you can support this message (and no, I do not work for the poultry industry, I just hate media food scares playing on people's concerns for their own profit).
Regards,
Rick Clayton
Ixelles
Want to reply? Send your thoughts to belgium@expatica.com.
[Copyright Expatica 2006]
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