Video: The virus is already having an impact on Notts farmers
Twelve swans found dead near the lake at Clumber Park did not die from bird flu, tests show.
Avian influenza, or bird flu, had recently been confirmed in Lincolnshire at a poultry farm and is highly infectious.
A number of swans were then found dead at Clumber in North Notts, over the Christmas period and were sent to labs for testing.
But these have now shown the animals did not have the deadly virus.
A spokesman for the National Trust said: “Following post-mortem tests scientists working on behalf of DEFRA have confirmed that the dead swans discovered at Clumber Park were not suffering from H5N8 (avian influenza).
“The National Trust now plans to commission further post-mortem investigations to try and establish why the birds died.”
Clumber Park has remained open to visitors and the National Trust believes, under the advice from Public Health England, that the risk to public health from the H5N8 virus is “very low”.
“As with any wild animal, we recommend that people avoid touching wild birds.” The National Trust added.
Although there have been no human cases of infection, the World Health Organisation says this remains a possibility, if unlikely.
But the virus is capable of decimating wild and domestic bird populations and tight restrictions are in place for people keeping birds.
The risk of farm animals catching avian influenza has already proved costly for poultry farmers in Nottinghamshire.
Daniel Winter from Trinity Farm in Cossall said: “We have had to build these small outdoor enclosures using crowd control barriers to allow our chickens to roam around outdoors but stop any wild birds from being able to get near them.
“The initial outlay was just shy of £1,000 but it adds an extra day’s work every week and as the restrictions go on the costs will go up every week.
“The chickens are a bit grumpier, they are not laying as many eggs, there is a literal pecking order with chickens and they are starting to peck at each other because they do not like the tightly-enclosed environment that we are currently having to keep them in.”
