A study by the European Food Safety Authority has found that more than 50 per cent of poultry farms in some European Union countries are contaminated with salmonella bacteria.

The findings of the study, which were leaked out, indicated that 62 per cent of the farms in Czech Republic were contaminated with a most dangerous strain of the deadly bacteria, 55 per cent in Poland and 51 per cent in Spain. The U.K. had the least count, just 12 per cent.

The report led to calls by industry and healthcare organizations to ban import of eggs from such countries. Andrew Wadge, head of Britain’s Food Safety and Food Standards Authority, said Britain could impose a ban on Spanish egg imports if that country failed to introduce compulsory vaccinations for its flocks.