If I can start at the end of Simon Thomas’s questions: am I confident that every single person who has got even one bird knows about it? I would say ‘no’. That’s why it’s so important that, as you said, we as politicians get that information out. The CVO has done a significant round of interviews last week. She did the BBC breakfast television network. We thought it was really important to get out there and get that message out. So, I would like to think that everybody has picked it up off our social media, from the television, from the radio and from our website. But, you know, hand on heart, can I say 100 per cent? No, but I hope, also, that discussions will take place between poultry keepers. The fact that we did suspend the gatherings of birds later in December—on 20 December—again, that message will get out. So, I am hopeful that, now it has been a month since we brought in the prevention zone, that information is out there. So, anything that anybody can do to encourage more people to talk about it is, I think, really important.

You asked about free range, and I alluded in my answer to Paul Davies to the decision to introduce the prevention zone back on 6 December. I took it after a great deal of advice and consideration from the CVO. You will remember that DEFRA were the first to introduce it, closely followed by Scotland and then by Wales. Northern Ireland were a little bit further on behind us. One of the reasons why I did think so carefully about it, because it is important that the action we bring forward is proportionate, was specifically around free range, because that 12 weeks—. You know, once that clock starts ticking—. So, we are having discussions about what we will do after 28 February—obviously, now we’ve got the prevention zone to 28 February, which takes us absolutely up to that 12 weeks. So, it will depend on what cases we have over the next seven or eight weeks, but the officials are having discussions with DEFRA and Scottish colleagues, in particular, about having that exit strategy from that prevention zone.

You specifically asked about pigeons. The prevention zone conditions do apply to all captive birds. However, pigeons are not of significance in the transmission of this particular strain of avian influenza, so they can still be flown. But, of course, currently, it’s the close season for racing pigeons, and there are no racing schedules, apparently, before the beginning of April. So, again, I don’t think it would be proportionate to extend any of these measures to sports and recreational pursuits at this time, but we will have to keep all options under continual review.