The Wildlife Trusts' position statement

as at 26 October 2005

The Wildlife Trusts are concerned that the current threat of a UK outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1) could result in the knee-jerk reaction of culling wild migratory birds. Culling wild birds will not provide a comprehensive control against the disease and could result in dispersing infected birds more widely, as well as diverting resources away from important disease control mechanisms.

The Wildlife Trusts believe that our response to the threat of avian influenza should be greater biosecurity including surveillance in at-risk areas, such as poultry farms, and strict disease control measures to deal with any outbreak.

The Wildlife Trusts and its extensive volunteer network will be making every effort to follow Defra's health and safety advice (www.defra.gov.uk) in all our work with wild birds, and will be assisting with surveillance operations by monitoring bird populations for signs of infection.

The Wildlife Trusts are supporting the most up to date joint statement from British Trust for Ornithology, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) statement at October 14 2005, along with current advice for birdwatchers). Updates are available on JNCC website http://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-3541 of which current versions are available on WildNET.

The Wildlife Trusts
19 October 2005