FEARS about a bird flu pandemic in humans are unfounded, according to a turkey farmer.

The H5N1 killer strand of the virus has killed more than 70 people in Asia and four people in Turkey.

But there are no signs it has mutated into a virus capable of spreading directly between humans. Philip Baxter, 56, believes it never will.

The breeder of thousands of turkeys at Cottage Farm, Cacketts Lane, Cudham, thinks it would have already mutated and killed people in Asia if it was a real danger to humans.

He said: "If it was going to happen then why did it not happen in Asia where people put the heads of cockerels in their mouths to clear the mucus out before putting them in the ring for cock fighting?

"I think the pandemic stories are a little scary and there is no foundation.

"We have fewer people panicking about Aids or dengue (a mosquito-born disease) and there is probably far more risk to the human population from those."

Government safeguards prevented bird flu from spreading after two parrots died in a quarantine centre in Essex last October.

Similar safeguards prevented an outbreak of the Newcastle disease when pheasants were imported from France into Surrey in 1995.

If this had spread it could have killed thousands of domestic and wild birds.

Mr Baxter believes these safeguards such as quarantine and cleaning and disinfecting infected farms are enough to prevent bird flu from spreading.

He said: "Obviously we have to keep an eye on it.

"But there are many threats to health and this is just one thing that has happened to come to the fore.

"I'm confident our Government has measures in place and the danger to the public is virtually zero.

"We can lose sleep about it but if we did we would not have much of a life.

"We just have to get the message out that all our turkeys are safe, which they are, and people can shop safely."

Bromley Primary Care Trust has emergency plans in place to protect the borough from any pandemic.

These are tested regularly with live and tabletop exercises.