"Mr Miliband said that to have banned meat imports from Hungary would have contravened trade rules. "
Yet another good reason to leave the EU, as well as being able to stop spending over £115M per week on being a member of this 'club' which has not had its Books passed for 12 years and now makes over 60% of our Laws.
Don't blame the government for having to abide by EU law - blame it for lining up gravy-train jobs for themselves when they have left office; and for failing to reclaim our fishing industry, our sovereignty and our democracy.
Or are they afraid of having to take responsibility themselves if Britain left the EU and they could no longer pass the buck to the unelected commissioners in Brussels?

Janet Moseley, Swansea, UK

One can only look at this directionless bunch of ministerial turkeys with dismay.

Here we are sitting on the potential spread of a virulent, incurable disease, and Millibrand tells us Brussels will be upset if we close the door on the source.

Will somebody in Blairy fairyland please stop the abysmal merry-go-round of regulatory subservience and give us something to cling to other than the present New Labour liferaft of egotistical consumerism.

This something is governance; protective, proactive, governance.

I don't mind joining Blair's vision of us as "confident world citizens" (Labour Party conference 2006). But I'd prefer to do it alive.

Ken Robertson, Oxford,

why would a popular brand like this have to import and export in the way disciribed.surely this company can keep all there operation in one country. had i know that their products were travelling like this i would not have feed them to my children. from now on i am affraid that i cannot take the risk of using any product from this company

maureen elizabeth hall, manchester, england

I hate the idea of factory farming and the way we behave to food as if it were crude oil shipping it around for "processing" is awful. But we have to follow the science not the tabloids in situations like this. This is a flu virus not BSE and the rules for safety are different. If this becomes a bash the government opportunity for all kinds of pressure groups it will make us less not more safe.

John Avery, York,

Sounds like Belgium, their mad cows miraculously disappeared into the food chain.

michael newport, london, uk

There are rules in place in the United Kingdom, as in all other countries, which permit the movement of meat and meat products according to certain criteria such as distance from disease outbreak, cooking temperature etc.
It would be illegal to ban either import or export if these criteria were indeed met. It would be better to abandon the hysterical indignation until it has been established whether any rules were broken.

It would certainly not be in Bernard Matthews ' business interest to indulge in any activity which would lead to transmission of avian influenza, thereby causing greater harm to themselves.

Bill Atkins, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, USA

Looks like UK have botched up yet again. We are going to end up in another 'Foot and Mouth' Scenario with no country trading with Britain and millions of pounds worth of lost revenue - instead of being extra careful when it really mattered.

Mrs Lesley Johnston, Bangor, Co Down

Once again we are hamstrung by foolish EU rules, and Defra wanders round like a headless chicken.

When will common sense prevail and the UK be able to decide it's own regulations?

David, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

I may be being ignorant but, why on earth does Bernard Matthews import and export turkey from/to Hungary. I'm amazed at how much air miles the contents of our kitchen cupboards have clocked up when most of it can be, and is, just as easily grown or farmed in this country. Wouldn't it make these situations a lot easier to control/isolate/lay blame!?

Mark Lambert, Felixstowe, Suffolk

Fine Bernard Matthews for endangering the public.

Joe, London, uk

Is somebody trying to make a cheap buck - I think so!!

Barry Clark, Leeds, England

If all the EU rules have been adhered to, this is further evidence that their social and ethical conduct have little to do with ours and the sooner our Government realises this and gets us out of there, the better.

The constant spin put on this has left a very nasty stain on the Government, Bernard Matthews' company and our production of poultry called British.

Roz Venner, ST NEOTS, UK

This is absoluely unbelievable. Not only was meat brought into the plant after the virus had been identified here in the UK but also, it was still being shipped out of the country. Heads really need to roll at DEFRA as a result of this debacle ... just what are they doing?

John Hall, Cranleigh, Surrey