A quarantine zone imposed in Scotland after the discovery of a dead swan which tested positive for bird flu is to be lifted, the Scottish Executive said tonight.
Restrictions on the movement of poultry products within three kilometres of where the bird was found in the east of Scotland will end tomorow night.
Controls on the movement of poultry and captive birds will be removed on May 1st if there are no further positive tests for the deadly H5N1 strain.
The controls were put in place on April 5th after it emerged that a whooper swan found in Fife had the H5N1 strain of the disease. The quarantine zone was imposed after the dead swan in the coastal village of Cellardyke, Fife, came to the attention of the authorities earlier this month.
The Executive said restrictions on the movement of poultry and other captive birds within nine kilometres of the village and a requirement for chicken farmers to keep their livestock indoors within a 1,000 sq mile area would end on May 1st if no further cases of bird flu emerged.
PA