New restrictions have been declared across Great Britain to prevent the spread of “highly infectious” bird flu, the UK’s chief veterinary officer has said.
Christine Middlemiss said England, Scotland and Wales were now an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ), meaning bird keepers will have to legally follow strict new measures.
It comes after a new case of avian flu was discovered in captive birds at a chicken farm in Herefordshire on Wednesday.
Two separate, unrelated cases involving captive birds were confirmed in Kent and Cheshire last week, Defra said.
It resulted in 13,500 birds at the farm in Cheshire being culled.
A “very small” number of wild geese in Gloucestershire, swans in Devon and a wild goose in Dorset have also been found with avian influenza H5N8.
Under the new measures, keepers with more than 500 birds will need to restrict access for non-essential people on their sites. Workers will need to change clothing and footwear before entering bird enclosures and site vehicles will need to be cleaned and disinfected regularly.
So-called backyard owners with smaller numbers of poultry are also urged to strengthen their biosecurity measures.
Strict new measures across Britain after avian flu cases found
