Britain is anxiously waiting for what seems like the inevitable spread of avian flu to its shores, at a time when memories of mad-cow disease and the foot-and-mouth crisis are still fresh.
Government officials urged the public to stay calm as European Union ministers met to discuss how to contain an outbreak, after France, which is about 100 kilometres away across the English Channel, became the seventh EU country to confirm that it had been hit by the disease. A dead duck tested positive for the H5N1 strain.
British poultry farmers will move their livestock indoors within 24 hours once the government gives the order, but that will happen only if the deadly H5N1 strain, which is potentially fatal in humans, is confirmed, said Ben Bradshaw, parliamentary secretary for animal health.
"Our contingency plan, which we've had in place for several years is that we would only order the housing of the birds if there was an outbreak in this country," he told the British Broadcasting Corp.
But some virology experts say that may be too late and birds should be moved indoors now to prevent them from coming into contact with infected birds that may already be in the country.
During the weekend, nine dead swans found across England by members of the public tested negative for bird flu.
"Don't let's panic," Defence Secretary John Reid said. "I'm sure the government has all the necessary measures there."
His words may ring hollow. Memories of the mad-cow epidemic, which devastated the beef industry in the 1990s, and the foot-and-mouth fiasco of 2001, when 6.5 million sheep and cattle were slaughtered, are still remembered. The rural economy is still struggling in some parts of England.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which was responsible for managing the foot-and-mouth outbreak, was criticized for its handling of the crisis. It is responsible for tackling the bird flu.
Because of the government's record, farmers are less inclined to trust DEFRA's handling of avian flu, said Richard Lawes, director of the Organic Farmers Market Ltd.
"The images of mad-cow disease were so horrific that people still remember them. The whole poultry industry is worried because the bird flu seems unstoppable, and whether the DEFRA can respond is another matter," he said.
The British have a particular fondness for their pets, and birds are no exception. When the nine mute swans were found dead on the weekend, there was probably as much concern for the agony of the graceful white-feathered creatures as for the arrival of a deadly epidemic.
Organic-chicken farmers, amateur chicken farmers and even pheasant-shooting enthusiasts are waiting to see what will happen next.
"Among shooters, we are waiting with bated breath," said Simon Clarke, spokesman for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, which has 123,000 members.
Shooting pheasant and partridge across bleak, wind-swept landscapes is a quintessentially British pastime associated with the aristocracy, and the suggestion that there may be fewer shoots is making some nervous.
"We are looking at the potential disruption for the next shooting season, which starts in September," he said. "We get the pheasant and partridge chicks from France, and it may be that there will be fewer birds to shoot. We may have to get locally reared chicks but that won't be enough."
Rearing chickens is also an increasingly popular hobby, with thousands of people buying breeds such as the Buff Orpington and Ginger Nut Ranger to raise in the backyard in specially constructed pens.
The government does not monitor hobby chicken farmers, prompting one official to recently express worry that amateurs could accidentally spread the disease by not moving their birds indoors if the government gives the orders.
