Bird Flu Hits Hornsea Poultry Farm

Thursday, 7 November 2024 12:48

By Andrew Spence, Local Democracy Reporter

A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in East Yorkshire.

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has confirmed that a poultry farm in Hornsea has seen an outbreak of the H5N5 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, commonly known as bird flu.

A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone have been declared around the farm and all poultry on the premises have been humanely culled.

DEFRA have said:

“All bird keepers must remain vigilant and practise stringent biosecurity to protect the health and welfare of their birds,”

UK Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, said:

“Avian influenza (‘bird flu’) has been confirmed in poultry at a premises in East Riding of Yorkshire. Immediate steps have been taken to limit the risk of the disease spreading and all remaining poultry at the farm will be humanly culled.

“The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that the risk to the general public’s health is very low, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers.

“Winter is a greater risk period for avian influenza and this case demonstrates that, now is the time if you are a bird keeper to ensure you have very robust biosecurity. Bird keepers must remain alert for any signs of disease and report suspected disease immediately.”

There is more information about the protection and surveillance zones at assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/672a899bf03408fa7966d1b1/Declaration_Protection_Surveillance_Zone_AIV_2024-02_nr_Hornsea_East_Riding_of_Yorkshire.pdf

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