The strain of avian flu in Turkey and Romania is a risk to people

But experts have played down the prospect of the avian disease striking this year, if at all.

The deputy chief medical officer for Wales said an anti-viral agent was being stockpiled for possible use within 48 hours of any pandemic.

Dr Mike Simmons said full stocks would be in place by next September in case of any pandemic.

Officials and bird experts have urged people not to panic in the wake of the claim by the Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson that a bird flu pandemic could kill 50,000 people in the UK.

There are fears that migrating birds could carry the virus to British shores. The rural affairs agency Defra will test dead birds found in locations where they are known to head for the winter.

Dr Simmons said his boss, chief medical officer Dr David Salter, had been holding a weekly meetings about how to deal with an outbreak.

The assembly government was also buying in an anti-viral agent to cover the 25% of the population, which it is estimated could contract the illness.

He said the complete stockpile of drugs would be available by next September, with half available by March.

There's no indication of what to look for in the birds and I still don't know - there's no further information Mary Thurlow, poultry producer

There would be a 48-hour window to pick up anti-viral drugs, "if and when" there was a pandemic.

"We will get a warning if we get a pandemic develop. It may not be a long warning, and that's why all this planning activity is going on now.

"But you will know if a pandemic is circulating and part of the UK plan has a contingency for communications which are ramped up as the WHO changes the status".

'Overreact'

"We believe this will have an effect of reducing the number of deaths and potentially reducing the length of symptoms."

Dai Davies, deputy president of NFU Cymru, said it was important that smaller poultry producers and people keeping chickens in their back gardens were also aware of the situation.

Mary Thurlow has a small commercial flock of about 90 hens in St Dogmaels in Pembrokeshire. She claims she is not getting enough information.

She said: "The only information I've had was back in January 2004, just saying of the possibility of it being transmitted to humans.

"There's no indication of what to look for in the birds, and I still don't know. There's no further information."

Mr Davies said: "Quite a lot of farms have got a few hens going round. And even some people living in private houses have got a few hens. And these people aren't registered".

He added: "It's important not to overreact...perhaps it's in the spring or next year that we should be more concerned about."