A parrot that died in quarantine has been found to have the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, and the spread of the virus means the country was now at greater risk. A spokeswoman for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed on Sunday that scientists had found ?the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus? in the parrot. ?The closest match is to a strain found in ducks in China earlier this year,? the ministry spokeswoman said. The news will add pressure on the European Union which is considering a ban, supported by Britain, on the import of live wild birds.

The parrot, imported from Suriname, South America, was part of a mixed consignment of 148 birds that arrived on September 16, the ministry said. They were held with another consignment of 216 birds from Taiwan. All the birds were culled while in quarantine. Debbie Reynolds, chief veterinary official, told reporters during a teleconference that the parrot likely caught the virus while in the quarantine centre where it was kept with the Taiwanese birds.

Her staff reviewed the global threat and determined ?there is a high risk of further global dispersion of this virus?. As a result, Britain and others must increase their vigilance. ?There is a risk to the United Kingdom and this risk has increased,? she said.

She said however that the finding did not affect Britain?s ?avian influenza disease-free status?. Reynolds said the parrot?s tissue samples were mixed by mistake with another bird?s so there may be two infected birds in the quarantine centre but that is not clear.The H5N1 strain has killed more than 60 people in four Asian countries since breaking out in late 2003 in South Korea. It has also reached European Russia, Turkey and Romania, tracking the paths of migratory birds. H5N1 has triggered widespread concern because it can transfer to humans in some cases, although only if they have had prolonged and close contact with infected birds, and some experts fear it could mutate to transfer between humans.

<B>Prohibited live-bird markets</B>

Wild birds are carrying H5N1 as they fly south for winter and many countries have already taken steps to stop them mixing with domestic fowl. Some, where H5N1 is confirmed, have followed the lead shown by South Korea in 2003 and started vast culls of domestic fowl.

Others, seeking to prevent contagion, have banned imports from suspect areas, prohibited live-bird markets, ordered fowl kept indoors for now, and stockpiled Tamiflu, an antiviral drug that could help stem infection depending on how H5N1 may mutate in humans. In the Gulf, Abu Dhabi urged owners to cull their home-raised poultry to prevent an outbreak of bird flu. But the parrot?s death highlighted another possible route for transmission ? wild birds traded as pets.

?The EU is the world?s biggest importer of wild birds,? said German charity Pro Wildlife, one of numerous organisations that have long sought a ban on the trade on animal welfare grounds. Germany backs a worldwide ban ? now, only birds from flu-stricken areas are barred ? and now Britain has followed suit. Junior environment minister Ben Bradshaw said he expected EU partners to agree. ?There would be considerable support throughout the EU,? he said. Some EU officials fear a ban will drive the thriving trade underground and create a hard to police black market.

Maltese officials sealed a ship after dead birds were found on board. State television said the Limassol-registered Nordsuk ship had come from Taiwan. As migrating birds head further south, eastern Africa is seen as the next area at high risk.

<B>MIKE PEACOCK</B>