WHILE I can recognise the sense in the government working hard to ensure that the confirmation that bird flu has reached Scotland does not result in gross over-reaction, it is important that this strategy does not in any way result in complacency or give the impression that we are not facing a very serious potential risk.

I was recently in Hong Kong and was struck by the very public way the authorities there were trying to limit the potential for wild birds to come into contact with humans.

Virtually every 20 metres in Hong Kong are signs warning the public not to come into contact with birds or their droppings, not to feed them and to wash your hands if you touch surfaces on which birds may have fouled.

While not over-reacting, it would seem to make sense to me that the government should be urging all property owners to take steps now to reduce the opportunities for wild birds and humans to come into contact. In this nobody would have a more major role than the public authorities who are major property owners and own properties that can often be in a poor state of repair allowing pigeons, etc, to gain access.

My company is often called in to clean up the mess that follows and while our employees have the correct safety equipment and training to carry out this work safely, other tradesmen, like plumbers and joiners, or other building trades, can often be asked to repair equipment in confined spaces where birds and droppings are present, yet where they are not properly equipped for the task in terms of masks, gloves, coveralls, etc.

The World Health Organisation website contains many useful facts and reports, including strategic plans for businesses to help them cope if the worst happens and a pandemic on a serious scale does eventually occur. I would urge every employer to read this and build their own contingency plan now.

It would be ridiculous to over-react at this stage but it is eminently sensible to take all reasonable precautions and to eliminate, where possible, any potential sites where humans and wild birds and their droppings come into regular contact.

Iain M Lawson, managing director, Pest Protection Services Scotland Ltd, Unit 17, Abercorn Industrial Estate, Abercorn Street, Paisley.