Preventive measures in the Port of Gdansk against birds flu

14.10.2005

As of 15 October this year, the Port of Gdansk will launch the implementation of measures aimed at securing protection against the epizootic virus of aviary flu, thus safeguarding the territory of Poland and the EU against an uncontrolled import of products of animal origin from the third countries - according to the Commission Regulation (EC) no 745/2004 of 16 April 2004 laying down measures with regard to imports of products of animal origin for personal consumption.

Pursuant to the regulations currently in force, at all border checkpoints handling goods and passenger traffic with the third countries, containers have to be provided that meet the requirements under Regulation no 1774/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council and are designed for collecting products of animal origin carried by travellers (submitted by travellers or confiscated by the customs authorities). It is mandatory that the contents of the containers be sent for disposal to approved utilisation plants that have a contract signed with the border checkpoint authority. It is required that each such transport be issued an appropriate commercial document. The border checkpoint authority is additionally obliged to place in a visible spot a note for travellers (information posters) informing about the possibility of transferring the birds flu virus and about a strict ban on importing products of animal origin to the territory of the EU in a hand luggage.

At the sea border checkpoint in the Port of Gdansk, on land under the management of the Port of Gdansk Authority SA, the imposed tasks required by the binding regulations are being implemented in close cooperation with the veterinary inspection authority and the locally competent customs offices according to as follows:

1. during the entry clearance, vessels arriving from the third countries are provided with marked containers for collecting products of animal origin (submitted by travellers or confiscated by the customs authorities);
2. vessels arriving from the third countries are provided with information posters informing about the possibility of transferring the birds flu virus and about a strict ban on importing products of animal origin to the territory of the European Union in a hand luggage;
3. upon the clearance, containers are removed from the vessel and products collected therein submitted to the utilisation plant.

On the order of the Port of Gdansk Authority SA, the reception of products collected in containers is handled by the "Port-Trans" company that is additionally supplying individual quay operators with clean containers and information posters.