Tests on a dead swan in Scotland have confirmed it was killed by the H5N1 strain of avian flu which has swept the world. The Fife bird is the UK's first case in the wild*.

Government vets have long known a case was inevitable as the disease has been poised to cross the channel for some weeks.

The National Farmer's Union said the confirmation was bad news, but that its members were prepared to deal with an outbreak, and consumers should not be concerned about poultry products. It said there were no poultry farms within the 3km protection zone set up around where the swan was found.

The Cabinet's emergency COBRA planning committee is meeting to discuss possible culling and other containment strategies. ®

*The virus was found in imported birds in quarantine last year

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