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26/10/2005
Government announces plans to tackle bird flu
Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett has announced that new measures will be brought in to combat the spread of avian flu.
The announcement comes as it emerged that two parrots died in UK quarantine from the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, which has killed more than 60 people in Southeast Asia.
Mrs Beckett told the Commons that the new regulations would be introduced within days.
They will include a ban on all bird fairs, markets and shows, unless risk assessments showed that they could go ahead safely.
The regulations will also lend legal weight to recent legislation enabling ministers to order poultry keepers to keep their birds indoors, as well as subject birds released from quarantine to a case-by-case risk assessment.
Mrs Beckett confirmed that two parrots had died in quarantine and said that the Department of Health believed that the virus came from Taiwan, although the country has reportedly denied this.
The Environment Secretary also confirmed that tests conducted on 32 birds that died in UK quarantine before October 16 found the H5N1 virus in some cases.
Croatia has become the latest country to announce cases of bird flu. The H5N1 virus was detected in wild swans found dead at a pond in eastern Croatia last week.
Tests are reportedly continuing on dead birds found in Germany, Greece, France, Slovenia and Hungary.
The H5N1 virus has already been identified in Romania, Turkey and Russia.
The European Union has banned the import of live birds, in order to limit the spread of bird flu.
Humans can usually only contract bird flu from close contact with infected birds. However, scientists are concerned that the virus might mutate into a form which passes easily between humans, potentially causing a pandemic.
(KMcA/GB)
The announcement comes as it emerged that two parrots died in UK quarantine from the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, which has killed more than 60 people in Southeast Asia.
Mrs Beckett told the Commons that the new regulations would be introduced within days.
They will include a ban on all bird fairs, markets and shows, unless risk assessments showed that they could go ahead safely.
The regulations will also lend legal weight to recent legislation enabling ministers to order poultry keepers to keep their birds indoors, as well as subject birds released from quarantine to a case-by-case risk assessment.
Mrs Beckett confirmed that two parrots had died in quarantine and said that the Department of Health believed that the virus came from Taiwan, although the country has reportedly denied this.
The Environment Secretary also confirmed that tests conducted on 32 birds that died in UK quarantine before October 16 found the H5N1 virus in some cases.
Croatia has become the latest country to announce cases of bird flu. The H5N1 virus was detected in wild swans found dead at a pond in eastern Croatia last week.
Tests are reportedly continuing on dead birds found in Germany, Greece, France, Slovenia and Hungary.
The H5N1 virus has already been identified in Romania, Turkey and Russia.
The European Union has banned the import of live birds, in order to limit the spread of bird flu.
Humans can usually only contract bird flu from close contact with infected birds. However, scientists are concerned that the virus might mutate into a form which passes easily between humans, potentially causing a pandemic.
(KMcA/GB)
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19 February 2007
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Around 130 workers at a Bernard Matthews site are to be temporarily laid off following the recent bird flu outbreak. The Transport and General Workers Union said that the company had confirmed that the workers at the Norfolk site would be stood down on Tuesday for 20 days.
Bernard Matthews staff face lay-offs
Around 130 workers at a Bernard Matthews site are to be temporarily laid off following the recent bird flu outbreak. The Transport and General Workers Union said that the company had confirmed that the workers at the Norfolk site would be stood down on Tuesday for 20 days.
08 February 2007
Two farm workers test negative for bird flu
Two employees at a Suffolk turkey farm affected by a bird flu outbreak have tested negative for the disease. It is understood that both workers from the Bernard Matthews farm in Holton, near Lowestoft, had reported respiratory problems, but were subsequently found not to have contracted the deadly H5N1 virus.
Two farm workers test negative for bird flu
Two employees at a Suffolk turkey farm affected by a bird flu outbreak have tested negative for the disease. It is understood that both workers from the Bernard Matthews farm in Holton, near Lowestoft, had reported respiratory problems, but were subsequently found not to have contracted the deadly H5N1 virus.
15 November 2005
Report casts doubt on transmission of avian flu
A report into the outbreak of bird flu at a UK quarantine centre has suggested that the virus might not spread as easily between different species as originally feared. The report suggested that the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus was brought into the UK in a consignment of Taiwanese mesia finches.
Report casts doubt on transmission of avian flu
A report into the outbreak of bird flu at a UK quarantine centre has suggested that the virus might not spread as easily between different species as originally feared. The report suggested that the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus was brought into the UK in a consignment of Taiwanese mesia finches.
12 February 2007
Bird flu farm exclusion zone 'may have been broken'
The exclusion zone set up around a Bernard Matthews turkey farm may have been broken, according to reports. It has been claimed that cooked poultry products were sent from the farm in Upper Holton in Suffolk to Hungary after the deadly H5N1 virus was discovered there.
Bird flu farm exclusion zone 'may have been broken'
The exclusion zone set up around a Bernard Matthews turkey farm may have been broken, according to reports. It has been claimed that cooked poultry products were sent from the farm in Upper Holton in Suffolk to Hungary after the deadly H5N1 virus was discovered there.
07 April 2006
Bird flu tests continue
More dead birds are being tested for bird flu in Scotland, after the first case of the deadly H5N1 virus in a wild bird in the UK was discovered there. Fourteen birds - 12 swans and two other species - are currently being tested. Nine birds have so far tested negative for the H5N1 virus.
Bird flu tests continue
More dead birds are being tested for bird flu in Scotland, after the first case of the deadly H5N1 virus in a wild bird in the UK was discovered there. Fourteen birds - 12 swans and two other species - are currently being tested. Nine birds have so far tested negative for the H5N1 virus.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:It will be cloudy again throughout the day. Mainly dry in the morning, but patchy drizzle in places, becoming more widespread and persistent in the afternoon. Freshening southwesterly winds. Maximum temperature 12 °C.Tonight:Cloudy with a spell of heavy rain pushing south through late evening and the early hours, followed by some clear spells. Minimum temperature 6 °C.
