Strict new rules to fight bird flu in England will not be replicated yet in Scotland, the country’s chief vet has said.
All poultry and captive birds in England must be kept indoors from November 7 amid the worst-ever avian flu outbreak.
Chief veterinary officer Sheila Voas said the evidence in Scotland does not currently justify a housing order.
But the chief vet said officials were “keeping the situation under review”.
NFU Scotland argues it is essential that commercial flocks are protected by being housed indoors.
Bird flu cases in Scotland
A total of four bird flu cases have been recorded in Scotland this month, compared to 80 in England.
The Scottish tally includes cases found in Aberdeenshire and Orkney.
Avian flu is not considered dangerous to humans, but people are advised not to touch dead or dying birds.
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Voas said: “While we are keeping the situation under review, we don’t believe the evidence as yet requires mandatory housing here.
“We are keeping an eye on numbers of cases. We’re keeping an eye on wild bird results coming through, and if the position substantially changes here, then we may choose to go to a housing order, as well.
“I think all breeders should be concerned and take whatever precautions they can to keep their flock safe.”
Ms Voas added that keeping birds indoors should not be seen as a “silver bullet” for tackling bird flu and that other measures, such as keeping feeding and bedding away from wild birds, were also effective.
However, NFU Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to immediately adopt the same rules as those introduced in England.
Robert Thompson, chairman of the body’s poultry working group, said: “To protect commercial flocks from the wild bird population, it is essential that the birds are housed.
“The Scottish Government’s view is that this problem can be controlled simply by biosecurity. We do not agree with this at all.
“We will be pushing very hard to get this rectified because poultry farmers can’t risk their businesses.”
Will there be enough turkeys for Christmas?
Meanwhile, the UK will have enough turkeys for Christmas, a UK minister told Parliament yesterday.
Environment Minister Mark Spencer said ministers are confident the UK’s “robust” supply chains and extra biosecurity measures introduced in recent weeks mean the number of turkeys on supermarket shelves this winter will not dwindle due to avian influenza.
Turkey farmers have warned of a shortage this Christmas amid the bird flu outbreak
They are warning prices of available poultry could risehttps://t.co/FUWqhkpf95
— ITV News (@itvnews) November 2, 2022
Mr Spencer said: “When it comes to food supplies, we are confident that our food supply networks are enough to make sure that we have turkeys for Christmas.
“We have the most robust supply chains available to us, and there should not be a problem as long as we continue to keep the strictest biosecurity moving forward.”
Mr Spencer said farmers in England and Wales who breed turkeys, geese and ducks for their meat “will have the option to slaughter their flocks early and freeze products, which can then be defrosted and sold to consumers between November 28 and the December 31 2022”.
The minister said it is “essential” the industry plays its part in “helping prevent further outbreaks”.
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