'Hundreds of thousands' of birds saved by import ban
Friday, 27 Oct 2006 11:52
Parrots have been saved by an import ban, RSPB claims
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A temporary import ban on birds introduced due to the threat of bird flu has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of rare and exotic birds, the RSPB has claimed today.
Last October the government banned imported birds after some died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu while in quarantine in Essex.
As the ban has resulted in rare birds including parrots, owls and the Toco toucan remaining in the wild, the RSPB is calling for it to be made permanent when it is reviewed in December.
Without the ban the wildlife organisation believes that many birds would be pets in Britain and the rest of Europe and many more would have died in the process.
Sacha Cleminson, senior European advocacy officer at the RSPB said: "The import ban has thrown thousands and perhaps millions of birds a lifeline and it would be a tragedy if the ban were to be lifted when it is reviewed in December.
"We already know that this could happen because the EU is under pressure from some of the countries that export exotic birds."
As well as saving the lives of the birds, the RSPB claims that there are potential financial benefits from maintaining the ban on a permanent basis.
According to a report commissioned by the Belgium government, exporting countries could make up to £72 million annually by eliminating what costs there are for trade controls, increasing eco-tourism and boosting other associated industries.
A further £1 million a year could be generated, the report suggests, by stimulating business in captive breeding and boosting funds for conservation.
Julian Hughes, head of species policy at the RSPB, commented: "Up to 60 per cent of birds caught for the pet trade die before they reach their destination. This is an horrific toll, particularly when almost every bird wanted as a pet could be bred in captivity in the UK.
"There is overwhelming support for the unsustainable and squalid trade in wild birds to be outlawed. There is no justification for it particularly when birds bred in captivity make much better pets."