A SERIOUS failure in strict quarantine regulations allowed a parrot to become infected with the deadly H5N1 avian flu strain after its arrival in Britain, animal health experts said last night.

The South American parrot appears to have been kept in quarantine too close to a bird from Taiwan, against official advice to bird importers. The apparent lapse in the system is expected to bring about a review of a policy that allows some commercial animal dealers to run their own quarantine operations under veterinary supervision.

The concerns were voiced as government scientists confirmed yesterday that the parrot had become infected by the deadly H5N1 strain. The closest match to the disease was to ducks found in China this year; it is not similar to strains isolated in Romania and Turkey.

Alan Jones, one of the country’s leading avian veterinary surgeons, said: “The quarantine system worked in that it detected disease before it got out into the country. But there could have been far more serious consequences had the bird left quarantine still carrying infection. It could have spread further and started an outbreak.

“The bird was found dead in quarantine before it could become any risk to human health or any other birds. But there must have been a breakdown in the quarantine system for batches of birds from different continents — South America and Asia — to have mingled .”

The dead bird, believed to be an Orange-Winged Amazon, was imported from Surinam on September 16 as one of a consignment of parrots and soft bills (birds that eat soft fruit) that passed through the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre. The bird had been taken to an approved quarantine centre where 216 birds from Taiwan were also held. A 30-day quarantine period started, then began again for the South American birds.

The parrot tested negative for avian flu before its export to Britain but last Thursday it was found dead, infected with the H5 virus. The quarantine premises in question have not been identified by the Government but are understood to be run by a commercial bird importer.

If infection had not been discovered the birds would have been released on Wednesday. They were all due to be sold in pet shops aound the country.

Mr Jones said that there were statutory rules about keeping birds for their 30 days in quarantine. “There must be no overlap or mingling between batches of birds and certainly not between birds from different continents,” he said. Imports of fewer than ten birds could even be held in quarantine at someone’s home as long as there were relevant veterinary checks.

A ban on all exotic birds caught in the wild is expected to be agreed by the European Commission tomorrow after a request from Britain. But scientists are concerned that this could encourage more bird smuggling, which would heighten the risk of the lethal flu strain reaching Britain and the Continent.

A spokeswoman at the Department for the Environment said yesterday that no other birds had come into contact with the Surinam and Taiwan consignment, and that all those birds had now been humanely destroyed.

All 2,000 birds held in 80 quarantine centres around the country are now to remain locked in confinement until veterinary checks are made on them and risk assessments held. All bird fairs, markets and shows also face a ban. Poultry can remain out of doors.

There was just one canary and a budgerigar at the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre last night. A spokesman for the Corporation of London, which runs the centre, confirmed that the Surinam consignment had arrived on September 16 and had been passed on to the importer for the 30-day quarantine.

Questions over quarantine controls emerged as scientific experts from the Medical Research Council flew to China, Hong Kong and Vietnam to investigate the virus. Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, went on television to reinforce the message that a human flu pandemic was inevitable and that it could lead to people staying away from work and other public gatherings.

Oliver Letwin, the Conservative Rural Affairs spokesman, said: “This is worrying information. We need a full explanation from ministers.”

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