New avian flu restrictions in place in Lincolnshire

Restrictions have been put in place around another farm in Lincolnshire following confirmation of the H5N8 avian flu virus. 

The virus has been found in a flock of about 6,000 turkeys at a farm in East Lindsey, Lincolnshire. A number have died and the remaining live birds at the premises are being humanely culled.

This follows confirmation of the disease in a flock of turkeys on a nearby farm on December 16. There is unlikely to be a direct link to the previous case but a full investigation is under way to confirm this.

A 3 km Protection Zone and a 10 km Surveillance Zone have been put in place around the infected premises to limit the risk of the disease spreading.

The same strain of the disease was found in backyard flocks in Carmarthenshire, Wales, and in Settle, North Yorkshire, earlier this month, as well as in a number of wild birds in England, Wales and Scotland.

Advice to pig farmers

NPA chief exectiive Zoe Davies said pig farmers, particularly where poultry is kept on the same unit or nearby, could be caught up in the restrictions and urged producers to take precautions.

Defra has warned that if any poultry on a farm, including pets, happen to contract avian flu, the whole farm will have to be cleaned and disinfected at the owner's expense.

Zoe said: "It is really important to be on maximum alert as an infection in a few chickens on your farm could result in a huge cost being incurred.

"We would advise all pig farmers to ensure they do not have any back yard or pet chickens in the proximity of their pig units."

The main risk period for infection from migrations is expected to remain until the end of February.

An Avian Influenza Prevention Zone is currently in place, requiring keepers of poultry and other captive birds to continue to keep their birds indoors, or take appropriate practical steps to keep them separate from wild birds.

This means all poultry keepers – even those who just keep a few birds as pets – must do everything they can to keep them separate from wild birds and minimise the risk of them catching avian flu via the environment.

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