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EU to ban imports of wild birds (1 Viewer)

Marcus Lawson

I've had to have a few of these!
At last something to thank Tony Blair for:

The trade in wild birds is to be permanently banned across the European Union starting in July, EU animal health officials have decided.
The move will replace a temporary ban imposed by Brussels in 2005 as part of measures to prevent outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

Animal welfare campaigners say the permanent ban will save millions of birds, including many rare species.

Only captive-bred birds from approved countries will be allowed into the EU.

Tighter controls on the health and quarantine of imported birds are also to be imposed.

Campaigners have blamed Europe's trade in wild birds as a significant factor in the decline of many threatened species such as the African grey parrot.

Before the temporary ban was imposed, about 1.7 million wild birds were imported annually into the EU.

About 60% of the birds caught for import died before they reached Europe from poor handling or disease, Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said.

The temporary ban was imposed in October 2005 after wild birds at a quarantine station in Britain were found to have avian flu.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6253543.stm
 
Brilliant news Marcus :clap: and not before time too!

I used to work in a pet shop about nine years ago and the owners were only interested in making as much money as they could. It used to sicken me when we received boxes of wild caught birds as they'd be crammed dozens into a box and would throw themselves around the boxes as they were so terrified. Quite a few were ill when we received them and more of them died than were actually sold! They (the shop owners) also sold wild-caught parrots and they had a 100% death rate!!! They wouldn't eat and were so fierce nobody could get near them - the only time you could was when they died and, when picked up, they were found to be skeletons covered in feathers!!!
It's a wicked WICKED trade :storm:
 
That is great news, really good, hopefully it is the start of something big, next step to control the national trading within South America, Africa and Indonesia.....
 
Trade ban will save two million wild birds

RSPB media release

Trade ban will save two million wild birds :clap:

The trade in wild birds will be permanently banned throughout the EU because of fears for human and animal health.

The ban, agreed in Brussels this afternoon (January 11) and to start on July 1 2007, means that up to two million wild birds will be saved from the pet trade which has caused the decline of species such as the African grey parrot, the yellow-naped amazon parrot and the white-fronted parrot.

The move has been welcomed by the RSPB, which has campaigned for a permanent ban for 20 years.

Chief Executive Graham Wynne said: "This decision takes wild bird conservation a hugely significant step forward. Millions of birds will now be saved including the many that die before they even reach their destination.

"The trade has been a blight on the EU's conservation and welfare record for far too long and this ban comes none too soon. Now, every European government must ensure that the ban is properly policed, that quarantine rules are fully enforced and that that there is no opportunity for unscrupulous traders to bend any part of the new law."

The wild bird trade was temporarily banned in the EU in October 2005 after birds at an Essex quarantine centre were found to have bird flu. It was made permanent by the EU's chief veterinary officers at a meeting in Brussels this afternoon.

The import of small numbers of wild birds into the EU by zoos and some pet owners will still be allowed. But traded birds listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) - the world's most threatened birds - should drop from about 800,000 each year to a few hundred.

Perhaps one million birds not listed by CITES were also traded annually. The import of those birds will be all but stopped as well. Additionally, up to 60 per cent of wild caught birds die before reaching Europe. They will also be saved.

The trade in CITES-listed wild birds was banned in the US in 1992 leaving the EU responsible for 87 per cent of the trade.

Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote to the RSPB in December 2006 promising to press the rest of the EU to make the temporary ban on the trade permanent. In the letter, he said "the RSPB's campaign has graphically demonstrated that the catching and transportation of wild birds.causes unacceptable levels of suffering to the birds and can have a damaging impact on their wild populations."

Sacha Cleminson, Senior European Advocacy Officer at the RSPB said: "This ban is wonderful news for wild birds. We will be watching closely all of the EU's Member States to check that the ban is being properly enforced. An additional ban on conservation grounds would give wild birds even greater protection. We do not allow our blue tits and robins to be exported and we should do our utmost to discourage the export of other countries' birds as well."

Ends

Contact:

Cath Harris, Media Officer, RSPB: 01767 681577 / 07739 921464

Notes to editors:

a.. As many as five million wild birds were traded annually and parrots were the most frequently sold birds. More than 3,000 of the 9,600 bird species in the world are known to have been sold in recent years.
b.. The international trade in wild birds is a significant factor in the decline of 55 globally threatened birds.

a.. The 2006 IUCN Red List includes 36 per cent of the world's parrots as threatened or near threatened and of the 94 at-risk species, 49 (52 per cent) are traded. Parrots lay few eggs and breed only once each year.

a.. The US ban caused poaching of wild birds in South America - a major source country - to plummet. The ban also sparked a much bigger trade in captive-bred birds and is likely to do the same in Europe.

a.. The African grey parrot is one of the most popular avian pets in the world because of its skill as a mimic and for its attractive plumage. According to CITES, almost 360,000 African greys were legally traded between 1994 and 2003. Many thousands more are exported illegally or die before they reach pet shops. Because of the pet trade, the African grey is declining in most of the 23 countries in which it is found. The species sells for up to £500 a pair in the UK. Between 1994 and 2000, the main export countries were Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Parrots lay few eggs and breed only once each year.

a.. Three studies on the Nicaraguan parrot trade commissioned by CITES concluded that the wild bird trade is unsustainable and that populations of several parrot species are declining rapidly. Several parrot species suffered an 80 per cent decline between 1994 and 2003, including the yellow-naped amazon, red-lored amazon, mealy amazon and white-fronted amazon. In that time alone, Nicaragua exported almost 54,000 parrots of which 83 per cent went to the EU.

a.. The Nicaraguan example also illustrates that the fact that the large-scale legal trade is used to mask the illegal trade. Between 1994 and 2003, Nicaraguan CITES export permits for almost 38,000 exported parrots (70 per cent of total exports) falsely declared the birds as 'ranched'. Several in-country reports said that no parrots exported from Nicaragua originated from 'ranching' operations. Instead all birds were wild-caught specimens. The 'ranched' label is used by exporters in an attempt to circumvent prohibitions established by many airlines on transporting wild-caught birds.

a.. Other species imported into the EU included the Toco toucan, made famous by Guinness adverts, the African spotted eagle owl, the crowned hornbill, the martial eagle, the green winged macaw and the purple glossy-starling.

a.. Market research for by the RSPB by BMRB International found that 92 per cent of respondents in the UK and Germany disapproved of the trade in wild birds while just one per cent in the UK and two per cent in Germany approved.

a.. A Parrot Society survey in May 2006 found 75 per cent of parrot keepers in the UK favoured an import ban.




The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
· The Lodge · Sandy · Beds SG19 2DL

Press office telephone 01767 681577

Website:www.rspb.org.uk


Registered charity no 207076
 
Hello everyone,
This is indeed a great news for millions of wild birds!
I am copying below the release issued by the World Parrot Trust, Defenders of Wildlife and American Bird Conservancy.

Cristiana

EU Permanently Bans Imports of Wild Birds
Conservation Groups Hail Ban that Will Save Millions of Birds a Year

Washington, D.C. - The EU decided unanimously yesterday to prohibit the
import of wild birds in order to prevent the introduction of infectious
diseases including avian influenza. As a result, as many as four
million birds a year will remain in the wild, spared from the
international pet trade.

The EU passed a temporary ban on the import of wild birds in 2005 when a
bird infected with the highly pathogenic strain of avian flu was found
in a quarantine facility in the United Kingdom. Yesterday's decision
makes that ban permanent. Prior to 2005, the EU constituted 90 percent
of the world's market for wild birds, importing some two million birds
annually. Bird conservation experts estimate that roughly half of the
birds harvested for sale in the EU died during capture and transport.
Many of these birds, such as the African gray parrot and the scarlet
macaw, are rare and endangered species.

"This measure is a huge step forward for bird conservation and welfare,
and much needed protection for public health and agriculture," said Dr.
James Gilardi, director of the World Parrot Trust.

Over the last two years, a coalition of some 240 conservation and animal
welfare groups urged the EU to end all such imports because of
infectious diseases, wild bird conservation and animal welfare concerns.
World Parrot Trust, Defenders of Wildlife and American Bird Conservancy,
along with partners in the Bird Conservation Alliance and groups in the
EU led this effort.

Markos Kyprianou, EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer protection,
responded to the coalition's pressure by requesting an independent
scientific review of the trade by the European Food Safety Authority
(EFSA) in May 2005. These EFSA findings published eight weeks ago
provided the scientific foundation for yesterday's decision, documenting
the substantial risks to biosecurity and animal welfare created by this
trade.

"Our coalition sounded the alarm in December 2004, warning the EU that
the most likely route for the introduction of avian flu was the pet
trade," said Kristen Genovese, associate international counsel at
Defenders of Wildlife. "Commissioner Kyprianou heard our message and
took decisive action, which led to this permanent ban. For that he
deserves much recognition."

The regulation approved yesterday sets out a new and restrictive regimen
whereby any exotic birds imported to Europe must be bred in captivity in
approved facilities. These birds may only be exported by countries
which are already deemed safe by the EU for poultry exports, including
the United States, Australia, Canada and a few other major trading
partners.

"Europe has crossed an important threshold by banning this archaic
trade. The bird trade has killed millions more wild birds than the bird
flu this ban seeks to stem. Congratulations to the commissioners on this
decision which will certainly have a positive impact on rare bird
species throughout the world," said Mike Parr, vice president at
American Bird Conservancy.

The EFSA press release and reports are available at
www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/ahaw/ahaw_opinions/ahaw_op_ej410_captive_b
irds.html.

High resolution photos of birds popular in the pet trade are available
at www.birdsareforwatching.org/press/.
###
The World Parrot Trust works for the conservation and welfare of
parrots, worldwide. Founded in 1989, the Trust has regional branches
North America, Asia, Australia and Europe; together they have aided the
conservation of 37 species of parrots in 22 countries.

Defenders of Wildlife is recognized as one of the nation's most
progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than
500,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective
leader on endangered species issues.

American Bird Conservancy works to conserve wild birds and their
habitats throughout the Americas. See www.abcbirds.org for more
information.
 
Hi Cristiana I see this is your first post, so may I welcome you on behalf of the Staff and Moderators at Bird Forum.

Thank you for your input on this thread, it really is great news this.

D
 
Excellent news. I have written to MPs/MEPs several times on this issue and my first post on the forum was regarding this. I am so pleased that the EU has finally seen sense. This is a cruel and unsustainable trade.

Jo
 
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