Two more outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 were confirmed in England on 7 November as autumn migration of wild birds continues, Global Agriculture reports.
One was at a mixed poultry premises near Garstang in Wyre, Lancashire, which kept meat turkeys, geese and chickens together with companion ducks, pheasants, peacocks and guinea fowl. The other was at a free-range laying flock near Pocklington in the East Riding of Yorkshire. They follow an outbreak confirmed on 2 November at a free-range laying flock near Biggar in the Scottish Borders.
Around each infected premises a 3 km protection zone and a 10 km surveillance zone are in place while birds are culled and the sites disinfected, and movement restrictions apply until testing shows the virus has gone. Separately, the H5N5 outbreak found in early October in a small backyard flock on the Isle of Lewis has been brought under control, and its surveillance zone was lifted on 5 November.
The risk to UK poultry from H5 virus in wild birds is assessed as medium overall, higher on premises with poor biosecurity and very low where biosecurity is strict. Keepers of mixed holdings that combine commercial birds with pet or ornamental species are urged to tighten biosecurity and record feed and water intake, since a sudden drop can be an early sign of infection.
Outbreaks in the UK usually follow the autumn and winter arrival of wild waterfowl from northern Europe and Siberia, which can bring the virus to domestic flocks through shared water, feed or droppings. Keepers in England, Scotland and Wales are asked to report sudden deaths, breathing problems or a fall in egg production without delay.
Photo: Humphrey Bolton / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Source: Global Agriculture
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