'Crucial Days' in Bird Flu Outbreak

Feb 06, 06:23 AM

Current Headlines: By Ben Glaze

South Wales poultry farmers said today they were putting into practice emergency rehearsals aimed at protecting their flocks from bird flu.

Tests over the weekend confirmed 2,000 turkeys at a Bernard Matthews' farm in Suffolk died from the potentially deadly H5N1 strain of the virus.

It is Britain's first serious outbreak of the avian disease - which, in its human form, has killed 164 people since January 2003, mostly in Asia and the Middle East.

The slaughter of 159,000 turkeys at the farm in Holton was expected to be completed today.

The president of the National Farmers Union Cymru, Dai Davies, said: 'Farmers in Wales are concerned and are taking the appropriate action.

'As there has been an outbreak there's a chance of an infected bird moving further west and infecting birds in Wales. The next four to five days will be crucial.

'At the moment we have to be very observant and conscious of the fact the disease is in the UK.

'We have had several rehearsals over the past year to prepare us for such an incident and farmers in Wales know exactly what action they have to take if the disease is spreading.'

Mr Davies said the risk of an outbreak may be highest among small- scale poultry farmers.

He said: 'The concern we have always had is that people who keep a few hens tend to have a more relaxed attitude to avian flu. People with a few hens leave them out and wild birds have access to them.'

A Welsh Assembly Government spokesman said today: 'Currently, the disease is restricted to Suffolk and there is no direct effect on Wales.

'Because of the situation in Suffolk, a Great Britain-wide ban on bird shows is being put in place.

'Bird keepers should be vigilant and report any unusual bird illnesses or death to the State Veterinary Service. Bird owners should also remember to observe good levels of bio-security.'

Wales' chief veterinary officer Dr Christianne Glossop said an investigation was under way to discover the source of the outbreak

She said: 'Until we understand where the outbreak has come from it's important not to speculate about whether this means there is an increased risk for the rest of Great Britain or not.

'The way we are reading it at the moment, we are not making the assumption that we are going to have a similar outbreak in Wales next week.'

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