Avian influenza (bird flu): What the Government is doing
Defra in liaison with Animal Health have set out structures and systems that would be implemented in an outbreak of disease, including a contingency plan and Risk Assessments.
- International surveillance and monitoring
- Domestic surveillance work
- Great Britain Poultry Register
- Contingency Planning
- Legislation
International Surveillance and Monitoring
Defra are continuing surveillance work on an international scale. One of the most important outcomes of this surveillance work is in informing our Qualitative Risk Assessments.
Defra carry out a Qualitative Risk Assessment whenever we are officially notified of a new disease incident in an EU Member State, a country on the border of the EU or one of the UK’s third country trading partners. The Qualitative Risk Assessment is designed to give a balanced account of the threat to the UK of the disease incidence, taking into consideration a number of factors such as the geographical implications of the disease incidence, the prevalence of susceptible species in and around the UK and the EU, animal movements (legal and illegal trade, migratory paths), path of transmission (air-borne or through direct contact) and other environmental factors.
Domestic Surveillance Work
Surveillance for avian influenza viruses in domestic poultry and wild birds is part of a European initiative and is carried out in all European Member States.
The UK strategy for avian influenza surveillance includes:
- The UK wild bird survey for avian influenza viruses. Which includes:
- Sampling of live caught wild birds
- Sampling of birds shot during normal wildfowling activities (no birds are shot in addition to those that would normally be shot by hunters)
- Screening of wild birds found dead
- The national survey for avian influenza viruses of subtypes H5 and H7 in domestic poultry.
- The investigation of any suspect cases of an avian notifiable disease in poultry (Newcastle disease or avian influenza).
- The investigation of the causes of unusually high mortality events in wild birds.
The surveillance programme is essential not only as an early warning system, but also in analysing how effective disease control activity is, which adds to our understanding of the virus.
Great Britain Poultry Register
Defra, the Scottish Executive, and the Welsh Assembly Government, backed by the poultry industry, have established the Great Britain Poultry Register to gather essential information about poultry species held on commercial premises for the purposes of risk assessment, disease prevention and control. In conjunction with continuing surveillance, a central register will help to communicate with poultry owners more effectively and identify where poultry are kept, so that resources can be targeted where they are most needed. A separate register is being developed for Northern Ireland and we are liaising to ensure that all this information can be effectively co-ordinated on a UK level.
Contingency Planning
Defra's revised Contingency Plan for Exotic Animal Diseases was laid before Parliament on 10 December 2007. The plan covers arrangements for dealing with a range of exotic animal diseases, including Foot and Mouth Disease, Avian Influenza and, for the first time, Rabies and Bluetongue.
As part of our contingency planning for an avian influenza outbreak, and in view of uncertainties in the nature and spread of the virus, we maintain a supply of 10 million doses of vaccine. This vaccine could be used against both H5 and H7 strains of the virus, should a veterinary risk assessment indicate it is necessary. Currently, only birds in English zoos are permitted to be vaccinated because of their vital role in global conservation. We have also produced a delivery plan, available on the Defra website, which outlines guidelines for delivering a vaccination programme in birds outside zoos. This plan, which has been developed and agreed with stakeholders, would have to be approved by the European Commission in the event of a decision to vaccinate and is available elsewhere on the Defra website.
Although Defra’s current policy is not to vaccinate poultry against avian influenza at the present level of risk because currently available vaccines do not make vaccination effective or efficient as a disease control or prevention measure, we keep our policy on vaccination under review in the light of scientific developments in vaccines. We do not have any objection in principle to the use of vaccination generally or specifically in relation to avian influenza. Further information on vaccination...
Legislation
Directive 2005/94/EC lays down the Community rules for the control of both highly pathogenic (HPAI) and low pathogenic (LPAI) avian influenza in poultry and other captive birds. Further information...
The Avian Influenza and Influenza
of Avian Origin in Mammals (England) (No 2) Order 2006 
(622 KB) and the Avian
Influenza (Vaccination) (England) Regulations 2006
(179 KB) enact the requirements of Directive 2005/94/EC . Similar powers
are in place in Wales and in Scotland. Further powers covering:
- The preventative or firebreak cull of poultry.
- Entry to premises to test and sample.
- The slaughter of vaccinated poultry, with compensation
are provided by The Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease (England and Wales (Order) 2003.
Related information
- Management Board review of Defra handling of the avian influenza quarantine incident.
- Council Directive 2005/94/EC
on the control of avian influenza
(218 KB)
- Draft avian influenza Directive Regulatory
Impact Assessment
(64 KB)
- Fresh poultry meat originating from a Protection Zone and product withdrawal in cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
- Stakeholder meetings
See also
- Great Britain Poultry Register
- Defra factsheet
- UK surveys of wild bird populations to screen for the presence of Avian Influenza.
- International trade - Customer Information Notes and Importer Information Notes
Page last modified:
January 10, 2008 12:58