Bird-flu outbreak exercise halted

An exercise to test the UK’s readiness for an outbreak of bird flu was cancelled today after the virus was discovered in a dead swan.

Yesterday scientists and vets took part in Exercise Hawthorn, a two-day exercise running through the procedures they would use to battle an outbreak of bird flu.

But the second half of the exercise, due to take part today, was this morning abandoned as resources were diverted following the discovery of a swan that has died from the H5 avian flu virus in Scotland.

The exercise was being co-ordinated from the headquarters of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in London with local disease control centres in Bury St Edmunds, Leeds, Cardiff and Gloucester.

Among those involved were the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Environment Agency, Downing Street, the Ministry of Defence, and other British government departments.

A Defra spokesman said: “We have put the national exercise to an end to ensure that we can bring all necessary resources to bear on the current situation without the confusion/distraction of a high-pressure exercise continuing to run.

“The decision was not taken lightly as many months of planning have gone into the exercise.”