A VACCINATION strategy to protect 15 million chickens in Britain from the deadly avian flu virus is being prepared by a new farm alliance.

Margaret Beckett, the Rural Affairs Secretary, is being urged to seek permission from the European Commission for such a vaccination programme before the end of the summer when Britain is expected to be at higher risk of the disease.

That period coincides with the next wave of migratory birds returning to Britain for the winter. Geese and ducks spend the summer in their breeding haunts in Greenland and the north Russian tundra, where they mix with birds from the Black and Caspian Seas, which carry a huge reservoir of the lethal flu strain.

The plan is being co-ordinated by the Soil Association, the leading organic organisation, and the Elm Farm Research Centre, the organic farming research base in Newbury, Berkshire. Richard Sanders, policy researcher at Elm Farm, said: “The issue is gaining momentum and we are contacting people in various organisations to lend their support. It really must be sensible to protect outdoor flocks from this huge reservoir of the lethal avian flu disease around the Baltic.”

Their intervention replicates their attempt, with the support of the Prince of Wales, to persuade Tony Blair to adopt a vaccination policy during the foot-and-mouth outbreak five years ago, and it threatens to renew the strains between the organic sector and the National Farmers’ Union. News of the plan was leaked to The Times last night as it emerged that the Government has not ordered one vaccine to deal with an outbreak of the H5N1 virus.

While the French and Dutch today submit applications for the limited vaccination of outdoor birds to protect them from possible disease from birds returning from Africa this summer, Britain is still firmly resisting such an approach.

Ms Beckett, in Brussels for a meeting of EU farm ministers, said vaccination was not a cure and could pose difficulties by masking the disease.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, however, has issued a marketing consent licence to Intervet UK Ltd for its vaccine Nobilis Influenza. The Dutch firm has already supplied 30 million doses of vaccine to the French.

A company spokeswoman said that it had already suggested that Defra should set up a vaccine bank. If such a bank is established, vaccines could be available within three days. But it can take up to two months to set up a bank for 10 million doses. The vaccine costs 6p for two doses required for each bird.

As scientific and agricultural experts said that the disease’s arrival in Britain was inevitable there was confusion about why Britain was still keeping its birds outdoors. The Prime Minister’s spokesman also said that as the flu spread geographically closer to our shores “the level of concern increases”.

But Defra insisted that there was still no scientific reason why birds should be taken inside. The risk to Britain was higher after the disease was found in a French pochard duck, but was still considered low. Tests on nine dead swans collected around the country at the weekend were negative.

One place that is taking no chances is the Tower of London, which has brought the famous ravens indoors to protect them. Aviaries have been created for the six birds within one of the towers. Legend has it that the Tower will collapse and the kingdom will fall if all the ravens leave.

Derrick Coyle, the Tower’s Yeoman raven master, said: “Although we don’t like having to bring the Tower ravens inside, we believe it is the safest thing to do for their own protection. We are taking advice on the vaccinations against avian flu, and in the meantime we will continue to give our ravens as much care and attention as they need.”

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