Scottish wild bird high pathogenicity: avian influenza response plan

1. Introduction

1.1 Aim of the plan

This document sets out the approach that the Scottish Government and its agencies will take to respond to an outbreak of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) in wild birds in Scotland. It also provides guidance to regulators, the general public, those involved in animal rescue, researchers and academics and environmental non-government bodies on issues relating to HPAI in wild birds. This includes what to do where HPAI is suspected in wild birds or confirmed detections in locations. The plan takes account of recommendations identified by the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Co-Convened Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds, published on 24 January 2022. It should also be read alongside the Scottish Government’s Exotic Animal Disease Contingency Framework Plan^[1] and the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain^[2], which outlines measures to be taken if Avian Influenza was suspected or confirmed in poultry, captive or wild birds.

This plan has been developed by Scottish Government and NatureScot in consultation with the Scottish Avian Influenza Wild Bird Task Force, drawing on information and experiences from the previous HPAI outbreaks. It is a live document and will be updated as needed, taking into account lessons learnt, policy developments, the latest scientific advice and comments from operational partners and stakeholders.

This plan was developed around the impacts and effects of the HP H5Nx clade 2.3.4.4b virus. The emergence of a strain of HPAI with a higher zoonotic potential (i.e., its ability to spread between birds and humans) would likely require additional precautions and mitigation not addressed in this plan. H5N1 is not the only strain currently circulating.

This document is structured into sections to provide:

• a brief overview of HPAI and routes of incursion in Great Britain,
• the roles of the Scottish Government and their delivery agencies in assessing and responding to HPAI in wild birds,
• the role of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the National Reference Laboratory (Weybridge) in surveillance for notifiable avian influenza in wild birds,
• the legislative framework to manage this response,
• a framework for licenced activities (e.g., research, shooting),
• guidance and links to published guidance regarding HPAI for a range of stakeholder audiences.
• information about existing surveillance, monitoring and future needs and,
• information on communication and information distribution.

Additional information about what is known about the impact of previous outbreaks of HPAI on wild birds can be found in Annex A.

This document is applicable to Scotland only. For comparable information on approaches in England and Wales see the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales.

1.2. Animal health

Animal health, including disease control, and wildlife conservation and management, is a devolved matter, and it is for each administration to assess the disease risks and respond accordingly. However, each administration seeks a consistent and coordinated approach to disease control across the four UK administrations, where possible.

While this document is applicable to Scotland only, it supports the GB-wide approach to avian influenza as set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for GB.

1.3. Legislative basis

The Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain^[3] details the Scottish Government’s response to detection of HPAI virus. The Avian Influenza (H5N1) in Wild Birds (Scotland) Order 2007^[4] provides for the introduction of controlled areas around locations of confirmed findings of HPAI H5N1 in wild birds (i.e., the location from which the wild bird/wild bird carcass was collected) if required. Measures implemented have the aim of preventing the spread of the disease to poultry or other captive birds (and to protect public health) and are put in place through the declaration of disease control areas: A wild bird control area (WBCA) and wild bird monitoring area (WBMA) could be declared if the disease risk was assessed as requiring this level of control.

The legislation is only relevant where the strain identified in wild birds is high pathogenicity avian influenza H5N1 which may present a significant risk to animal and human health. Experts agree that the strain of HPAI H5Nx that was in circulation in 2021-2024 (clade 2.3.4.4b) does not meet the criteria as it is not the same highly zoonotic strain that formed the background to the legislation created and does not currently pose a significant risk to human health^[5] . This is also true for HPAI H5N5 which has a similar zoonotic risk to H5N1.