Bird flu has spread from south-east Asia to Europe

Dr Christianne Glossop said a detailed contingency plan had been prepared, in case the deadly strain found in Turkey and Romania reached the UK.

She urged people in Wales not to panic, and not to avoid poultry meat and eggs, which were perfectly safe to eat.

Poultry producers echoed her comments and said they hoped the public would not lose confidence in their products.

Dr Glossop spoke as tests confirmed a case in Romania of a strain of the flu potentially fatal to humans.

"We can't completely protect ourselves from this, so we have to be ready to deal with it if it arrives," she told BBC Radio Wales.

The last thing we want is 'Edwina Currie syndrome' here Egg farmer Tony Burgess

"What has changed since last week is that we now have an outbreak closer to home," she explained.

"That is why everyone is raising their levels of alertness."

Dr Glossop said she did not believe it was inevitable that bird flu would reach the UK, but the authorities had to be ready.

"We have contingency plans set out to deal with an outbreak of avian influenza in Wales," she told Good Morning Wales.

Turkey and Romania have culled thousands of birds

"We know exactly how we would manage everything, from the name of the operations director all the way down to who does what and where, so we are ready for an outbreak."

Asked about preventative methods, Dr Glossop said the biggest threat which could not be removed was that posed by wild birds which might be carrying the virus.

"One of the difficulties here is that we can't protect ourselves from wild birds flying into Britain and so that avenue of protection is not open to us," she explained.

"We have to be vigilant, however. We are screening wild birds right now to look for the presence of infection, and we are also screening domestic poultry - that is a routine thing we do every year."

There is no risk. I intend to have roast chicken tomorrow Dr Christianne Glossop

Commercial poultry farmers and even people who kept chickens, ducks, and other birds in their back gardens were urged to keep a check on signs of illness, and to inform their own veterinary surgeon if they were concerned.

But Dr Glossop said poultry products did not pose a health risk.

Consumer fears

"Imported poultry products from any country with bird flu are automatically stopped when it is discovered, so if anybody is thinking about going out shopping, don't be afraid of buying poultry products.

"There is no risk. I intend to have roast chicken tomorrow."

Dr Glossop's advice was echoed by poultry farmers.

"I hope everybody can get it into perspective and read between the lines in the news stories," said Tony Burgess, who has a free range egg business in Aberystwyth.

Mr Burgess said there had been just 60 confirmed deaths in south-east Asia, where the disease had been present for 18 months.

In the UK, however, there had been 4,000 deaths from conventional flu, he claimed.

Mr Burgess said producers like himself were concerned that fears might put consumers off buying poultry and eggs.

"The World Health Organisation has advised people there is no health risk from eating poultry or eggs," he said.

Mr Burgess said it was important the public understood the situation, particularly in view of previous unnecessary scares in the food industry.

In 1988 the then junior Conservative health minister Edwina Currie was forced to resign after warning of high salmonella contamination in UK eggs.

Mr Burgess said: "The last thing we want is 'Edwina Currie syndrome' here.

"When she made that sweeping statement all those years ago, it devastated the egg industry."

Les Hewitt, chairman of the Poultry Board in Wales, said the authorities had been talking to producers for more than four years about a potential outbreak.

Farmers did not view the risk of infection as too serious at the moment, but were nevertheless taking sensible biosecurity precautions.

"It is hard to imagine sick and dying birds being able to fly from the Far East and infecting flocks," he told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Edition.