BirdLife Malta has welcomed the unanimous decision taken by the EU’s chief vets to ban the trade of wild birds because of fears for human and animal health.

The ban, which will be enforced as from 1 July, will save up to two million wild birds annually 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 BirdLife European network which has campaigned for over 20 years for a permanent ban.

BirdLife Malta sent a briefing paper to the Maltese chief vet Mireille Vella before the meeting in Brussels, held last week, and asked Malta to support the ban

“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,” said Executive Director of BirdLife Malta Tolga Temuge.

“Now, every European government must ensure that the ban and quarantine rules are fully enforced and that that there is no opportunity for unscrupulous traders to bend any part of the new law,” he added.

The wild bird trade was temporarily banned in the EU in October 2005 after birds at an Essex quarantine centre in the UK were found to have bird flu.