The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says gulls were seen taking meat waste from open bins. The Meat Hygiene Service gave advice.

The report says poultry imported to the UK from Hungary is the “most plausible” cause of the bird flu outbreak found at Holton in Suffolk on 3 February.

Bernard Matthews said it had followed all of Defra’s biosecurity regulations.

Safe to eat

In a statement, the company said: “Bernard Matthews welcomes both of these reports as they confirm that its conduct has always been legal and have thanked us for our support in this investigation.”

It said the authorities had identified ways in which biosecurity could be enhanced and the company would “comply with any recommendations”.

“Bernard Matthews will continue to work closely with the authorities involved and wants to remind consumers that the FSA has confirmed that properly cooked poultry is perfectly safe to eat,” said the statement.

It comes after parallel investigations found:

• Pest control workers noted last month large numbers of gulls attracted to uncovered bins full of trimmings from turkey breasts
• This had also been a problem last year
• Gulls were observed carrying turkey waste away and roosting on the roof of the turkey houses 500 metres away
• There were holes in the houses that could have allowed birds or rodents in
• Polythene bags containing residue of liquid waste could have blown around the site
• Plastic-covered bales of wood shavings used as bedding were kept outside

The Meat Hygiene Service also said it had had to offer advice on rules that were being broken a number of times over the last year.

But investigators have found all food importing and processing activities at the Bernard Matthews plant at Holton complied with European law.

Defra announced that the firm had lifted a voluntary ban on poultry movement to and from Hungary, with effect from 0001 GMT on Saturday. But the company said the ban would remain in place for the time being.

It imposed the ban on 8 February during concern over the outbreak at its plant.

Defra said there was “little evidence” of wild birds spreading the disease to the UK.

The H5N1 strain found on the site is nearly identical to that in Hungary.

The government has now completed its interim epidemiological report into the source of the outbreak.

Original source

It said wild birds were unlikely to be the source of the outbreak as H5N1 has not been found in such birds since August last year, and surveillance at the Holton plant failed to find any infected animals.

Fred Landeg, deputy chief vet, said: “We may never be able to conclusively pinpoint the original source of the virus.”

An investigation led by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) found there was no evidence of meat coming from inside the restricted zone around the outbreak in Hungary to the UK.

A parallel investigation by the Health Protection Agency found there had been little risk for workers at Holton and there was no need for antiviral treatment.

Meanwhile, officials have also lifted a ban on gatherings of birds, such as shows, sales and racing, outside the restricted zones, as well as changing rules on shooting and keeping of domestic birds within the restricted zones.