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Avian Flu

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness. I believe that question was touched on by the noble Baronesses on the Front Benches. I cannot give the noble Baroness the relevant figure but we are taking a power to be able to have poultry moved indoors. That is not a decision which has been taken either way at this stage. However, it is prudent to take such a power. It would obviously affect practically every bird that is reared organically because by the very nature of the way organic farming takes place those birds are not kept indoors at all times. I should have thought the measure would affect 100 per cent of organic birds and a fairly large percentage—which I cannot give the noble Baroness—of the very large number of poultry in this country at the moment. I do not want to give the noble Baroness a figure for the number of poultry in the country at the moment without checking my facts. I was asked whether they would still be considered free-range. We know that the Dutch took the decision, a couple of months ago, to move all their poultry indoors. That was after their experience of two years ago, when I believe 80 per cent of their birds were infected. They have been allowed to treat those birds that were outside, but are now inside, as free-range.