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ArchivedSince December 2016 a number of cases of the highly pathogenic (i.e. serious) strain of Avian Influenza H5N8 have been confirmed in the UK. It mainly affects birds, but can affect humans and other animals. It is spread by direct contact, or by infected body fluids and faeces.
In birds it causes symptoms including a swollen head, loss of appetite and birds going off lay. Breathing difficulties are common and include coughing, sneezing and rattling. Some species, for example ducks and geese, show minimal disease; however in other birds the disease is often fatal.
Disease has been confirmed in commercial and backyard flocks in Suffolk, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, N Yorkshire and Carmarthenshire. Closer to home, H5N8 has been found in wild birds in Somerset, Dorset and Devon in early 2017.
The Prevention Zone requiring ALL poultry keepers (nationwide, commercial and backyard flocks) to house birds is replaced on February 28th by a more targeted approach. The new measures will continue to reduce the risks of the disease spreading, and to help protect poultry and captive birds from avian flu.
Keepers in Higher Risk Areas must continue to keep birds housed or netted. Some areas of Devon and Cornwall are High Risk as they are close to large bodies of water, and the number of wild waterfowl present increase the risk of infection. In these areas you must either keep your birds housed, or if they are allowed outdoors this must only be into a fenced run which is fully covered by netting.
If you aren’t in a Higher Risk Area, birds will be allowed outside into fenced areas providing ponds have been netted, wild bird food sources removed and any areas contaminated by wild birds have been cleansed and disinfected.
Good biosecurity, to reduce the risk of infection from the environment (e.g. bird droppings), and cleansing and disinfecting before and after contact with poultry, continues to be mandatory across the country. Keepers of more than 500 birds are required to observe extra biosecurity measures.
You can find out whether you are in a Higher Risk Area via the DEFRA website, which also provides more detailed and continually updated information on the current Avian Influenza situation.
These other tips may be helpful:
- Reduce the risk of introducing infection, by cleansing and disinfecting before and after contact with poultry
- Ensure that ventilation and temperature control is adequate in closed housing: birds need fresh air without draughts
- Free range birds are used to having freedom to roam and a closed environment may cause frustration. Birds like to investigate by pecking, so adding grit to a dry littered area can help keep them entertained. Providing brightly covered balls can also help in the short-term, as can hanging brassicas - as long as the come from a biosecure source.
