Wednesday 17 May 2017 @ 11:12
Department of Health
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Avian influenza (bird flu) in winter 2016 to 2017

The latest situation on avian influenza (bird flu) in the UK and advice on how to reduce the risks.

Avian influenza (bird flu) is a disease of birds. The H5N8 strain of the disease has been found in the UK in farmed and wild birds since December 2016.

Public Health England advises the risk to public health is very low and the Food Standards Agency has said there is no food safety risk for UK consumers.

Current restrictions

A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone are currently in place around 2 premises near Thornton, Wyre, Lancashire.

If you keep poultry and captive birds

The Avian Influenza Prevention Zone has now been lifted across most of England and replaced by a new Prevention Zone that applies only to certain areas of Lancashire, Cumbria and Merseyside.

Within the Prevention Zone

All keepers within the new Prevention Zone - whether they have commercial flocks or a few birds in their back garden - must by law continue to follow specific disease prevention measures to reduce the risk of infection from wild birds (PDF). These include minimising movement in and out of bird enclosures, cleaning footwear, keeping areas where birds live clean and tidy and feeding birds inside.

The new Prevention Zone covers the districts of Barrow-in-Furness, South Lakeland, Lancaster, Blackpool, Wyre, Fylde, Preston, Sefton, West Lancashire, South Ribble and Chorley. You can use our interactive map to check whether you are in the Prevention Zone.

In the rest of England

Keepers in the rest of England should continue to follow practice on biosecurity.

All disease control measures are kept under review based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice.

Poultry gatherings

The ban on poultry gatherings has also been lifted in England, except for gatherings within, and poultry coming from, certain areas of Lancashire, Cumbria and Merseyside.

This means most poultry gatherings can now go ahead, subject to some additional identity and health checks and biosecurity measures.

The ban remains in place in the districts of Barrow-in-Furness, South Lakeland, Lancaster, Blackpool, Wyre, Fylde, Preston, Sefton, West Lancashire, South Ribble and Chorley. It applies to poultry including chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese, and restricts events such as livestock fairs, auctions and bird shows.

Welfare of housed birds in warm weather

If your birds are housed it is especially important to keep a close eye on them in warmer weather to ensure they remain comfortable and healthy.

Check them regularly and ensure they have enough water and sufficient ventilation. You should monitor the maximum temperature and take action if it significantly exceeds 21ºC for adult birds or around 13ºC for adult ducks.

Free range status

Most egg producers in England can now let their birds outside but any producers in the Protection Zones (around the 2 cases in Lancashire) must house their birds or where this is not practical, keep them separated from wild birds. Egg producers in the localised Avian Influenza Prevention Zone must continue to take strict biosecurity precautions. Keepers can sell products as free-range if they come from birds which meet all the free-range requirements.

Reporting suspicion of disease in your poultry

For advice and guidance on what to do if you keep poultry or to report suspicion of disease in animals, call the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301 or read our detailed guidance on avian influenza.

Reporting dead wild birds

Members of the public should report dead wild birds - such as swans, geese, ducks, gulls or birds of prey - to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77. Defra will then collect some of these birds and test them to help us understand how the disease is distributed geographically and in different types of bird.

Cases of avian influenza since December 2016

The H5N8 strain of the disease has been confirmed at farms in Northumberland, Suffolk, Lancashire and Lincolnshire, and in backyard flocks in Lancashire, North Yorkshire and Carmarthenshire.

Where avian influenza has been confirmed, we put restrictions around the site - a 3km Protection Zone and a 10km Surveillance zone - to limit the spread of disease, and we investigate the source and possible spread, of the infection.

As well as being found in several different types of poultry, the same strain of the virus has also been found in wild birds in England, Scotland and Wales. We publish a list of cases where we find avian influenza in wild birds.

We publish details of the situation across Europe in the latest veterinary outbreak assessment.

Further information

Government announcements on avian influenza

Channel website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care

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