LONDON, NOV 6 – The United Kingdom (UK) government today issued a warning to chicken farmers to be vigilant after an outbreak of bird flu was detected on a commercial farm in the north of England, which was the second incident this year and the first of the season.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) yesterday confirmed the presence of the H5N5 strain of bird flu, a type of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The virus was detected on a farm in Yorkshire, meaning the UK is no longer considered bird flu-free under World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) rules.
All livestock on the farm will be culled, and a three-kilometre protection zone will be established around the area near the seaside town of Hornsea.
DEFRA informed that this outbreak involved the H5N5 virus, detected following previous findings in Europe, different from the last outbreak in February 2024 involving the H5N1 strain. To date, no cases of bird flu have been reported in Wales or Scotland in this latest outbreak.
While the risk to farm animals remains low for premises with a high level of biosecurity, the risk to wild birds has been raised from moderate to high.
Between 2021 and 2023, the UK experienced the largest bird flu outbreak in its history due to the H5N1 strain, which resulted in the deaths of 3.8 million birds and widespread transmission in wild bird populations. – AFP
