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| Production resumes at turkey farm | Production resumes at turkey farm |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The Suffolk farm at the centre of the bird flu outbreak is to resume the slaughtering and processing of turkeys. | The Suffolk farm at the centre of the bird flu outbreak is to resume the slaughtering and processing of turkeys. |
| Some 159,000 turkeys were culled after the H5N1 strain was confirmed at the plant in Holton on 3 February. | |
| Poultry will arrive from 0900 GMT on Tuesday from the 50 farms Bernard Matthews operates around the UK. | Poultry will arrive from 0900 GMT on Tuesday from the 50 farms Bernard Matthews operates around the UK. |
| They will be brought in under a special licence, allowing them to cross into the exclusion zone which remains in place around the site. | They will be brought in under a special licence, allowing them to cross into the exclusion zone which remains in place around the site. |
| According to Environment Secretary David Miliband the slaughterhouse has been re-licensed by the Meat Hygiene Service after cleansing and disinfection at the site. | According to Environment Secretary David Miliband the slaughterhouse has been re-licensed by the Meat Hygiene Service after cleansing and disinfection at the site. |
| Outbreak: Key locations | Outbreak: Key locations |
| He said he had been "guided by science" in allowing production to resume, and that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) had investigated all aspects of the slaughterhouse and found them "of an appropriate standard". | He said he had been "guided by science" in allowing production to resume, and that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) had investigated all aspects of the slaughterhouse and found them "of an appropriate standard". |
| TIMELINE 1 Feb: Vets called to Bernard Matthews farm in Suffolk after turkeys die3 Feb: Vets confirm H5N1 strain and turkey cull is begun5 Feb: Environment minister says most likely cause is from wild bird, but other possibilities being investigated6 Feb: Cull of 159,000 turkeys completed at the farm8 Feb: Government vet suggests turkey meat from Hungary may be to blame. Bernard Matthews denies link9 Feb: FSA examines whether infected meat may have entered food chain10 Feb: Supermarkets deny there has been a slump in poultry sales12 Feb: Slaughter and processing of turkeys to be resumed at plant, it is announced | TIMELINE 1 Feb: Vets called to Bernard Matthews farm in Suffolk after turkeys die3 Feb: Vets confirm H5N1 strain and turkey cull is begun5 Feb: Environment minister says most likely cause is from wild bird, but other possibilities being investigated6 Feb: Cull of 159,000 turkeys completed at the farm8 Feb: Government vet suggests turkey meat from Hungary may be to blame. Bernard Matthews denies link9 Feb: FSA examines whether infected meat may have entered food chain10 Feb: Supermarkets deny there has been a slump in poultry sales12 Feb: Slaughter and processing of turkeys to be resumed at plant, it is announced |
| Dame Deirdre Hutton of the FSA said nothing had yet been found to suggest a risk to public health, although she did admit that it was a "possibility" that infected poultry has entered the food chain. | Dame Deirdre Hutton of the FSA said nothing had yet been found to suggest a risk to public health, although she did admit that it was a "possibility" that infected poultry has entered the food chain. |
| Officials are still trying to work out where the H5N1 virus found in the farm came from - there have been suggestions that it could have come from a wild bird or from infected poultry from Hungary. | Officials are still trying to work out where the H5N1 virus found in the farm came from - there have been suggestions that it could have come from a wild bird or from infected poultry from Hungary. |
| The H5N1 strain was found on a Hungarian goose farm in January, and UK officials said later that the Suffolk strain "may well be identical". | The H5N1 strain was found on a Hungarian goose farm in January, and UK officials said later that the Suffolk strain "may well be identical". |
| 'Clear and open' | 'Clear and open' |
| Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Chris Huhne questioned how open Bernard Matthews has been with sharing information with the government about the bird flu outbreak at its Suffolk site. | Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Chris Huhne questioned how open Bernard Matthews has been with sharing information with the government about the bird flu outbreak at its Suffolk site. |
| "Where there's been a problem which could potentially affect the health of your customers you need to be absolutely clear and you need to be absolutely open," he said. | "Where there's been a problem which could potentially affect the health of your customers you need to be absolutely clear and you need to be absolutely open," he said. |
| "And I'm afraid the way that the facts have come out in this case about the trade between Suffolk and Hungary suggest to me that that's not been the case." | "And I'm afraid the way that the facts have come out in this case about the trade between Suffolk and Hungary suggest to me that that's not been the case." |
| But Bernard Matthews insisted it had never withheld any information. | But Bernard Matthews insisted it had never withheld any information. |
| A statement said: "Bernard Matthews has never withheld any information and will continue to assist Defra with its ongoing investigation." | A statement said: "Bernard Matthews has never withheld any information and will continue to assist Defra with its ongoing investigation." |
| It is still a possibility that infected poultry has entered the food chain but the risk to public health remains low Dame Deirdre Hutton, Food Standards Agency | It is still a possibility that infected poultry has entered the food chain but the risk to public health remains low Dame Deirdre Hutton, Food Standards Agency |
| Bernard Matthews has a processing plant in Sarvar in Hungary, about 160 miles away from the goose farm. | Bernard Matthews has a processing plant in Sarvar in Hungary, about 160 miles away from the goose farm. |
| European Union officials said they were expecting results by Tuesday of tests into whether the two strains were directly linked, but that the results "cannot determine how the strain of bird flu actually arrived in the UK". | European Union officials said they were expecting results by Tuesday of tests into whether the two strains were directly linked, but that the results "cannot determine how the strain of bird flu actually arrived in the UK". |
| A meeting at the European Commission headquarters has heard that that records dating from November show no turkeys from the affected Szentes region were transported to the Matthews plant in Sarvar. | A meeting at the European Commission headquarters has heard that that records dating from November show no turkeys from the affected Szentes region were transported to the Matthews plant in Sarvar. |
| The H5N1 virus, which causes bird flu, does not pose a large-scale threat to humans as it cannot pass easily from one person to another. | The H5N1 virus, which causes bird flu, does not pose a large-scale threat to humans as it cannot pass easily from one person to another. |
| But experts fear the virus could mutate and trigger a flu pandemic, potentially putting millions of human lives at risk. | But experts fear the virus could mutate and trigger a flu pandemic, potentially putting millions of human lives at risk. |
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