Thank you again, Cabinet Secretary, for your second statement on this. I think that proves to us as Members just how seriously you, in fact, are taking this. Obviously, it was a great disappointment when it was discovered that a deal teal was found at the RSPB Conwy reserve. I have to tell you that, on Twitter last night, the manager of the reserve, Julian, was concerned that this will cause people not to visit. So, it’s how we get that positive message out there that at least it has been identified, and it’s going in as part of your biosecurity. On my Twitter feed, I made the announcement that you were making a statement today, and they will be looking out for that. So, anything you can do, working with local authorities, to highlight the fact that it is still safe for visitors to attend.

Moving on, you mentioned the smallholding in Carmarthenshire, and that was just a handful of birds, really. I just wanted to ask, on that particular example, had they already registered the fact that they were keeping that poultry, or were they in fact on any register. The reason why I ask this: I actually know quite a few people who keep poultry—low numbers, but they just do not see the necessity. They tend to imagine that it’s the bigger poultry farmers, and those who keep animals free range. I just wondered are you working with local authorities so that they can perhaps, on the ground, be more aware.

Also, certainly in my part of north Wales, there are numerous hobbyists and visitor attractions keeping tropical bird aviaries, birds of prey and of course domestic poultry, and it’s very difficult to mesh off in order to feed birds and everything, in terms of those kinds of birds, without wild birds coming down to visit and, actually, very close contact. It’s how can you actually make people very aware of the dangers posed by avian flu and the need for all outdoor poultry owners to come forward, join the register and keep them indoors. Perhaps your department could use social media more and then we, as Members, can look out for it and tweet it, because I think it’s a message we need to get out.

Clearly the onus is as much on these bird owners as large-scale poultry farmers, who may be finding it difficult, as you rightly pointed out, to adhere to the requirements of the prevention zone. How can you ensure that they are also taking the necessary precautions in terms of sanitation, disinfection and registration? The H5N8 strain is highly pathogenic and given its potential to spread can cross-contaminate or mutate, and we obviously cannot afford to underestimate the potential dangers. How are you seeking to prevent any cross-contamination when contact between humans and infected birds is inevitable, because clearly people are feeding them not realising that at the time? I’ve done quite a lot of work on this previously, and I am in fact a bird owner myself and I know that if I actually contract flu, it depends which flu it is, but you have to be very careful, because you can cross-infect.

Finally, you state that the level of risk of avian influenza may increase over the coming weeks. The World Organisation for Animal Health suggests vaccination should this situation become more problematic. I just wondered, in terms of resource, how you’re able to look at that, if—and I’m only saying ‘if’ because obviously there’s a cost with that. But more so, what about the fact that, in our local authorities across Wales, a lot of our regulatory and public protection departments have lost budget and they’ve lost many of their important officers? How do you think, given that this is a situation that could—? We know it’s on the increase. How do you think you are placed—your department, and indeed our local authority departments—in actually dealing with this in terms of where we can all have full confidence?