Will the recent cases of bird flu found in the European Union make people eat less poultry? Experts don't think so and warn against creating a panic that could have economic consequences.

Italy is already suffering from a "chicken psychosis," as Munich's Süddeutsche Zeitung put it. Fearing infection with the deadly H5N1 virus, eight out of 10 Italians have stopped eating poultry. The drop in consumption has reportedly led to the loss of 30,000 jobs over the last couple of months so far. The economic damage comes to 600 million euros ($714 million). 

But Bernd Adleff, the president of Bavaria's Poultry Association, said that talk about the bird flu's economic damage was vastly exaggerated. 

"You don't need to believe such nonsense," he said, adding that consumers were insecure and hesitant about buying poultry.  

But Adleff said he didn't believe this would lead to long-term problems.

 Officially, no hard numbers exist yet to assess the economic damage caused by bird flu within the EU, said Michael Mann, the press spokesman for EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer-Boel. 

"We have first indicators," he said. "Some member states have told us about a 15 percent drop in poultry consumption."