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Fears children played near swan
Fears children played near swan
WILLIAM TINNING and TOM GORDON April 06 2006
THE owner of the biggest poultry farm near the Scottish fishing village where bird flu was found in a dead swan last night expressed concern and anger that he had received no official contact about the health scare.
Donald Peddie, who keeps 22,000 hens at Kingsbarns, near St Andrews, in Fife, spoke as villagers in Cellardyke, near Anstruther, said the first they heard of the case was on television news.
Members of the community claimed the dead swan was found on the cobbled slipway of the ancient Cellardyke harbour at the end of last week.
Scott Forsyth, 36, a gardener, whose flat overlooks the harbour, said he had seen the bird as recently as Tuesday and that children had been playing on the beach close to it over the weekend. He said: "I had thought about going to take some feathers off it to use as fly ties for fishing but I thought better of it. I think everyone is concerned about this."
Kilduncan Poultry Farm, run by Mr Peddie's family for almost 45 years, is about 10 miles from Cellardyke but is outwith the protection zone drawn up by the Scottish Executive.
The farm has 22,000 caged hens supplying local shops and restaurants with eggs.
Until a few weeks ago the farm also had about 300 free range hens but Mr Peddie said the chickens were slaughtered because they were almost at the end of their laying period and were not worth the risk of keeping in light of the threat of avian flu.
After the Scottish Executive's announcement last night that bird flu had been found nearby, he said: "Obviously we are very worried about our livelihoods. But we are more than a bit irritated that we have had no official contact about the outbreak and have only learned what we know through reports on television.
"I have been trying to contact Defra (the Department of Food and Rural Affairs) and other official organisations all night and have left numerous messages on helplines. But no-one has got back to me with any official statement or instructions. It is inexcusable, to put it mildly."
Mr Peddie said the swan was washed up on the shore in Cellardyke, where his brother, Andrew, operates a pig farm.
Mr Peddie said: "The chances of it ever having touched land in Fife are reasonably low. The dangers of it being part of a larger infection in Fife are still low I hope. But I speak as an optimistic farmer."
He said he had a "large programme" of preventative measures in place at his poultry farm, where he employs four full-time workers and some weekend workers. "We have large supplies of protective clothing and disinfectant on site. People know what to do with that in the morning."
Last night the small fishing community of Cellardyke, where Henry McLeish, the former first minister, has a home, was deserted.
Residents reported that a small notice had been erected warning people not to touch the bird after it was found on the cobbled slipway but otherwise there had been no sign of official action.
One villager, 40-year-old Maureen MacDonald, said that she had been phoned by her husband, who was on his way back to Scotland from Thailand, about the possible outbreak.
She said: "There was nothing thought of it, the dead swan, because there are always dead birds washed up there."
At the Haven pub and restaurant overlooking the harbour, locals last night expressed amazement that their community was the focus of a major health outbreak.
Catherine Richardson, a barmaid, said she first knew about it was when phoned by a newspaper.
Janette Mizrak, who is the manager of the nearby Boat Tavern, said: "If I had not had the news on I would not have known. We never heard a thing."
Robin Forsyth, a 38-year-old Cellardyke resident, said he was worried the virus could have spread to seagulls which were seen dive-bombing and pecking at the dead swan.
"The birds were bombing the bird and eating it. it had obviously been there for a few days," he said.
Martin Dibley, a local community councillor, said: "I am rather surprised if not shocked.
"We have a lot of farmland and farms in the area but I've not heard of too many swans. I am surprised at it being a swan and will be interested to know how it got here.
"We are about nine miles from St Andrews and have a community of about 4000 in the East Neuk of Fife. It's mainly small fishing villages and we have an income from tourism."
Late last night police officers were stopping drivers on the road near Crail and asking them if they worked with, or transported poultry.
Defra could not comment on Mr Peddie's concerns last night.
WILLIAM TINNING and TOM GORDON April 06 2006
THE owner of the biggest poultry farm near the Scottish fishing village where bird flu was found in a dead swan last night expressed concern and anger that he had received no official contact about the health scare.
Donald Peddie, who keeps 22,000 hens at Kingsbarns, near St Andrews, in Fife, spoke as villagers in Cellardyke, near Anstruther, said the first they heard of the case was on television news.
Members of the community claimed the dead swan was found on the cobbled slipway of the ancient Cellardyke harbour at the end of last week.
Scott Forsyth, 36, a gardener, whose flat overlooks the harbour, said he had seen the bird as recently as Tuesday and that children had been playing on the beach close to it over the weekend. He said: "I had thought about going to take some feathers off it to use as fly ties for fishing but I thought better of it. I think everyone is concerned about this."
Kilduncan Poultry Farm, run by Mr Peddie's family for almost 45 years, is about 10 miles from Cellardyke but is outwith the protection zone drawn up by the Scottish Executive.
The farm has 22,000 caged hens supplying local shops and restaurants with eggs.
Until a few weeks ago the farm also had about 300 free range hens but Mr Peddie said the chickens were slaughtered because they were almost at the end of their laying period and were not worth the risk of keeping in light of the threat of avian flu.
After the Scottish Executive's announcement last night that bird flu had been found nearby, he said: "Obviously we are very worried about our livelihoods. But we are more than a bit irritated that we have had no official contact about the outbreak and have only learned what we know through reports on television.
"I have been trying to contact Defra (the Department of Food and Rural Affairs) and other official organisations all night and have left numerous messages on helplines. But no-one has got back to me with any official statement or instructions. It is inexcusable, to put it mildly."
Mr Peddie said the swan was washed up on the shore in Cellardyke, where his brother, Andrew, operates a pig farm.
Mr Peddie said: "The chances of it ever having touched land in Fife are reasonably low. The dangers of it being part of a larger infection in Fife are still low I hope. But I speak as an optimistic farmer."
He said he had a "large programme" of preventative measures in place at his poultry farm, where he employs four full-time workers and some weekend workers. "We have large supplies of protective clothing and disinfectant on site. People know what to do with that in the morning."
Last night the small fishing community of Cellardyke, where Henry McLeish, the former first minister, has a home, was deserted.
Residents reported that a small notice had been erected warning people not to touch the bird after it was found on the cobbled slipway but otherwise there had been no sign of official action.
One villager, 40-year-old Maureen MacDonald, said that she had been phoned by her husband, who was on his way back to Scotland from Thailand, about the possible outbreak.
She said: "There was nothing thought of it, the dead swan, because there are always dead birds washed up there."
At the Haven pub and restaurant overlooking the harbour, locals last night expressed amazement that their community was the focus of a major health outbreak.
Catherine Richardson, a barmaid, said she first knew about it was when phoned by a newspaper.
Janette Mizrak, who is the manager of the nearby Boat Tavern, said: "If I had not had the news on I would not have known. We never heard a thing."
Robin Forsyth, a 38-year-old Cellardyke resident, said he was worried the virus could have spread to seagulls which were seen dive-bombing and pecking at the dead swan.
"The birds were bombing the bird and eating it. it had obviously been there for a few days," he said.
Martin Dibley, a local community councillor, said: "I am rather surprised if not shocked.
"We have a lot of farmland and farms in the area but I've not heard of too many swans. I am surprised at it being a swan and will be interested to know how it got here.
"We are about nine miles from St Andrews and have a community of about 4000 in the East Neuk of Fife. It's mainly small fishing villages and we have an income from tourism."
Late last night police officers were stopping drivers on the road near Crail and asking them if they worked with, or transported poultry.
Defra could not comment on Mr Peddie's concerns last night.
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