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Avian influenza (Bird flu): Questions & answers

This page was last updated on 15 February 2006.

Independent Review of Avian Quarantine

What is this review?

A. Following the detection of avian influenza in captive birds in a quarantine facility in Essex, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced on 26 October 2005 an independent review of avian quarantine procedures for captive birds (excluding poultry) in the UK. The Review report was finalised on 7 December 2005.

What does the report say? What are the main conclusions?

A. The main conclusions of the report are:

  • Imports of captive birds should be permitted to continue. However, existing quarantine procedures should be improved to further reduce the risk, and should be kept under review.
  • Action needs to be taken at EU level to achieve the full benefits of avian quarantine.
  • Avian flu and Newcastle disease present little risk to public health, and when the modified quarantine system is operating throughout the EU the risk from imports of captive birds will be negligible.
What are the recommendations?

A. The report contains 32 recommendations for improvements to the existing model for avian quarantine that are broadly directed at improving the implementation and accountibility of the existing quarantine system. The recommendations include:

  • better information gathering;
  • pre-export requirements of birds in third countries;
  • ensuring high standards are maintained on arrival, during transport to the quarantine facility and in quarantine, particularly with regard to supervision, audit and the roles and responsibilities of those involved;
  • improving the detection of disease during quarantine by
    • suspending the use of sentinels,
    • better sampling arrangements, and
    • better tests;
  • transferring the cost of approving or re-approving a quarantine facility to the quarantine operator; and
  • removing anomalies in the movements between Member States and quarantine arrangements for pets and show birds.
Impact at EU level?

A. The report recommends that many of the changes proposed should be implemented at EU level to ensure the standard of quarantine is raised to the same level throughout the EU. Once imported into the EU, captive birds can be traded between Member States without further quarantine (or even, for non-psittacines, without further veterinary certification).

Areas for further work?

A. The review highlights areas for further work, for example:

  • the role of quarantine should be kept under review, including its contribution to the protection of public health;
  • review of animal welfare in quarantine and transit;
  • research into the use of sentinels, the shedding of viruses from infected birds, and the validation of new disease detection techniques
Is the government going to accept the recommendations?

A. The government will look at all of the recommendations carefully in close consultation with EU partners and stakeholders, and will implement any essential recommendations before imports of captive birds resumes.

Who is Chairperson/Prof Dimmock?

A. The Review was chaired by Professor Dimmock, Emeritus Professor of Virology at Warwick University. He trained as a zoologist and is an expert in influenza.

Who else was on panel?

A. The other members were:

  • Anna Bradley, who has been a lay member on the Science Advisory Council, was the lay member of this Review,
  • Dr Nigel Lightfoot, Head of the Flu Programme at the Health Protection Agency who advised on human/public health issues,
  • Dr Terry Russell, a consultant systems auditor,
  • Peter Scott, a private veterinarian with a recognised specialism in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine who is a Zoo Inspector and Local Veterinary Inspector, and
  • Professor Christopher Wathes who has expertise in the fields of animal welfare, animal housing, biosecurity and aerobiology and is also the Chairman of the Farm Animal Welfare Council.

Page last modified: 14 November, 2007

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs