The measures taken by the government against bird flu earlier in the week are being taken in full compliance with the European Union’s action plan involving all member states, a spokesperson for the Rural Affairs and the Environment Ministry told the Malta Independent yesterday.

“Our surveillance programme is being stepped up and is being constantly monitored and any query we are receiving is being immediately acted upon. I can confirm that hunters have been asked to present swabs for tests and that wild ducks are being collected as per our announcement on Monday,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that poultry owners are being advised to keep their chickens in enclosed areas and to ensure that no animal leaves the respective farm compound.

“However, by far and large our poultry is based indoors but we are taking this precaution to ensure minimal contact between wild birds and those in the poultry industry,” the spokesperson added.

European Union veterinary experts yesterday backed plans to boost surveillance of wild birds and stricter bans on imports into the 25-nation bloc as officials scrambled to find ways to curb the spread of deadly bird flu in Europe. Malta was represented at this meeting with officials from the Food and Animal Health Department.

With Austria and Germany saying wild birds in their countries have tested positive for deadly H5N1, the European Commission approved more than e1.9 million in additional funding for national surveillance programmes and added testing to ensure early detection of bird flu outbreaks.

Malta managed to secure e3,700 for its monitoring programme. Estonia was at the bottom end of the scale with just e1,450 with Luxembourg voted e4,400. The biggest beneficiary was Italy (e427,300) followed by Germany (e268,000)

The panel of veterinary experts also backed plans to suspend the importation of untreated feathers from all non-EU countries.

“The aim of these national surveillance programmes is to provide early detection of cases of avian influenza, particularly in wild birds and poultry in the European Union,” said EU spokesman Philip Tod.

He said the programmes would run until the end of the year.

“A number of samples have to be taken from both wild and domestic birds in each member state, and the type of tests that will be done,” said Tod, adding that in total, the plans foresee the testing of 60,000 wild birds and 300,0000 domestic birds.

He said the panel meeting for two days of talks in Brussels was analysing what possible additional measures EU governments could take to stop the spread of the virus to other EU countries.

Tod said that additional measures could include boosting checks at farms and wetlands.

All 25 EU governments last year signed up to guidelines to help prevent the spread of bird flu, including setting up protection zones in outbreak areas to halt the movement of farmed poultry or hunting of fowl. Culling is also carried out if needed.

Yesterday, Gudjon Magnusson from the World Health Organisation warned that five countries in or bordering western Europe have recorded large outbreaks: Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Romania and Turkey.

“It is up to us to see that avian flu doesn’t become an epidemic in Europe,” he said in Kiev, Ukraine.

David Nabarro, the UN coordinator for combating bird flu, warned that Ukraine – where H5N1 has spread to 24 villages, with suspicious bird deaths in 18 others – is at high risk of further outbreaks.

“The threat is still there,” he said in Kiev. “Avian influenza will continue to come to Ukraine... health services must be ready and prepared to deal with people who are infected with avian flu and to be ready for the possible arrival of human-to-human transmission.”

Elsewhere yesterday:

• Experts from a German medical institute said that further tests confirmed H5N1 in two dead swans found on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen – the country’s first known cases. A crisis team has been set up in the region, and authorities were awaiting officials results from the EU reference lab in England.

• An Austrian laboratory said two swans found dead tested positive for H5N1 and have been sent to the EU reference lab.

• At least nine dead swans turned up dead on Danish islands near Ruegen, Danish authorities said. Tests were being conducted on the dead birds, veterinary officials said, urging farmers to keep their poultry indoors. A formal ban was expected within days.

• Switzerland’s government said that from Feb. 20, farmers will be required to keep poultry in roofed enclosures. Switzerland already has banned poultry imports from countries affected by the virus.

• Sweden also required farmers to keep poultry indoors.

• In Macedonia, a dying eagle touched off a bird flu alert after landing in President Branko Crvenkovski’s backyard. Security went on high alert for hours until a veterinarian could be found to remove the bird, two TV stations, A1 and Channel 5, reported yesterday. The bird tested negative for bird flu, Agriculture Ministry spokeswoman Sonja Trajkova said.

Additional reporting by Associated Press