Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in Europe since autumn last year. With the onset of wild bird migration, avian influenza viruses can spread to Latvia, so please organise your poultry keeping carefully.

All suspected cases of disease in poultry must be reported immediately Food and Veterinary Service, organic certified poultry flocks must ensure that all veterinary measures are recorded and presented to the certification authority at the time of the inspection.

SIA "Certification and Testing Centre" reminds Food and Veterinary Service a call on poultry keepers to strictly comply with biosecurity and other rules to prevent the introduction of avian influenza and other diseases into the poultry house:

• Feeding and watering of poultry must be organised in the housing or in a confined area, preventing access of wild birds to feed and bedding;

• staff working in poultry houses and persons coming into contact with poultry must be provided with work or change clothing and footwear that is used only where poultry are kept;

• water other than from surface water reservoirs must be used to water poultry;

• to prevent direct and indirect contact with wild waterbirds, the release of poultry, which are waterbirds, into water bodies of natural origin is prohibited;

• participation in poultry markets and door-to-door sales of poultry and hatching eggs is prohibited.