Fears raised over bird flu trucks

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Concerns about the safety of driving culled turkeys across England have been raised by a Staffordshire MP.

Bill Cash, the member for Stone, has said people living in Stone are "deeply concerned" about trucks carrying the dead birds through his constituency.

Tens of thousands of carcasses are being taken to be incinerated in Cheddleton following the outbreak of bird flu at a plant in Suffolk.

The firm responsible has said there are stringent safety procedures in place.

'Plastic sheets'

Mr Cash, a Conservative MP, said he had written to David Miliband, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Transport.

"My constituents are deeply concerned by the transportation of culled turkeys through Stone.

"These trucks are supposed to be sealed but they only have a plastic sheet unrolled over the trailer," he said in the letter.

Tens of thousands of carcasses will be incinerated

He also said he was concerned about the carcasses being transported 210 miles (338km) and so possibly "carrying the infection countrywide".

Nearly 160,000 turkeys are being gassed to contain the outbreak of bird flu at a Bernard Matthews plant in Lowestoft.

John Pointon and Sons, which is the firm responsible for disposing of the turkeys, and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have issued a joint statement saying there was no health risk to people in the local area.

It said lorries used in the transportation were sealed after being loaded and the carcasses would be rendered and incinerated at the Cheddleton plant.

Pointon and Sons, which employs 160 people, said it had been chosen to carry out the disposal as it was larger than normal rendering plants and therefore had the capacity to deal with the number of birds.

'Safest way'

Rendering involves the crushing or grinding of the raw material, followed by heat treatment to reduce the moisture content and kill micro-organisms.

"All aspects of the process are governed by stringent legislation which defines the maximum particle size, the cooking time, and minimum temperatures.

"Rendering has been chosen as the preferred method as it is the safest way to ensure that the virus is destroyed," the statement said.

Barrington Gee, 69, who lives near the Pointon and Sons plant, said: "The lorries really smell.

"They are being driven through towns and cities and are having to stop at traffic lights where people are having to walk past them.

"I think they should be moved in refrigerated containers so there's no smell. The lorries they have I don't think are adequate enough."