Written question asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Bach (Labour) on Thursday, 3 November 2005.

Wild Birds

Question: How many wild birds are imported into (a) the European Union, and (b) the United Kingdom each year; and, of these, how many are tested for avian flu.

Answer: Between 1 September 2004 and 1 September 2005 our records show that 20,553 captive birds were imported into the European Union.Of this 18,367 captive birds were imported into the UK.These figures are for captive birds, as no distinction can be made between captive bred birds and wild caught birds. The figures to not include poultry.All imported captive birds must be held in quarantine for 30 days during which time a test must be carried out for the avian influenza virus.

Secondary information