All departments are working closely together to ensure that emergency contingency plans are in place and can be activated very quickly in the event of an outbreak.
The Trading Standards Service as the enforcement section in the authority, may be called upon carry out a number of roles in the event of a disease outbreak including:
The Service will be liaising closely with the State Veterinary Service, Welsh Assembly Government and DEFRA who are the lead authority.
If you think you have come across unusual deaths of wild birds a rule of thumb is:
then contact the DEFRA help line on 08459 335577. When contacting this help line please have as much information to hand as possible so that an initial assessment can be made, be patient the line can at times be very busy.
The one-off dead garden bird is not generally seen as a problem and these should be disposed of in the usual way.
However if in doubt contact the help line for advice.
We will keep you up to date on any local issues and developments relating to Avian Influenza. However as the situation can change rapidly we have provided a link to the following information sources.
Welsh Assembly Government - Avian Influenza
Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Travel Advice (Foreign & Commonwealth Office)
Health Protection (Health Protection Agency)
Human Pandemic (Department of Health)