Britain’s chief veterinary officers have announced new restrictions following an outbreak of bird flu cases.
New rules will be in force for all bird keepers across England, Wales and Scotland following an increase in cases, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.
It comes after bird flu was confirmed at a site in Wales.
The presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 was confirmed by interim chief veterinary officer Gavin Watkins in poultry at a site in Anglesey. These are the new restrictions put in place.
Bird flu restrictions
New rules will come into force from midday today.
All bird keepers in England, Wales and Scotland will now be required to follow strict biosecurity measures to protect their birds from avian flu.
Free-range birds will need to be kept within fenced areas, and bird keepers with more than 500 birds will be required to restrict access for non-essential people on sites.
Keepers will also need to change clothing and footwear before entering enclosures.
A joint statement from the chief veterinary officers for Wales, Scotland and England said: "Bird keepers have faced the largest ever outbreak of avian flu this year and with winter brings an even more increased risk to flocks as migratory birds return to the United Kingdom.
"Scrupulous biosecurity and hygiene measures is the best form of defence, which is why we have declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across Great Britain, meaning that all bird keepers must take action to help prevent the disease spreading to more poultry and other domestic birds.
"The introduction of an AIPZ means regardless of whether you keep a few birds or thousands, you are legally required to meet enhanced biosecurity requirements to protect your birds from this highly infectious disease."
Can humans get bird flu?
The bird flu can affect humans, but it depends on the strain of the virus, the NHS has said.
There is a very low risk to human health and food safety risk from avian influenza, according to public health advice.
Most strains aren't actually harmful to people but there are four that have raised concerns in recent years:
- H5N1 (since 1997)
- H7N9 (since 2013)
- H5N6 (since 2014)
- H5N8 (since 2016)
No humans have been infected with H5N1, H7N9, H5N6 or H5N8 bird flu in the UK which includes the type of H5N6 virus recently found in humans in China.
The strains of bird flu that have been found in some poultry, other captive birds and wild birds in the UK are the H5N8 and H5N1 variants.
H5N6 has also been found in some wild birds in the UK but it is important to note that this is a different strain to that seen in China.
Bird flu is spread to humans by:
- touching infected birds
- touching droppings or bedding
- killing or preparing infected poultry for cooking
You also can't catch bird flu by eating fully cooked poultry or eggs, even if you're within an outbreak area.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here