Bird flu detected at chicken farm in Suffolk
There has been an outbreak of bird flu at a chicken farm in Suffolk, government officials said today.
It’s the first time the disease has been found in the UK since 2017.
Read more: Suspected bird flu found in Lancashire
The health body said that all the birds would be now be humanely culled and that a 1km restriction zone implemented to stop the disease from spreading.
The strain was reportedly a low pathogenic version of the disease, which means that the risk to public health is very low.
Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said:
“Low pathogenic avian flu has been confirmed on a commercial chicken farm in Suffolk. Immediate steps have been taken to limit the risk of the disease spreading and 27,000 poultry at the farm will be culled.
“Public Health England has confirmed that the risk to public health is very low and the Food Standards Agency has said that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers.
“Bird keepers should remain alert for any signs of disease, report suspected disease immediately and ensure they are maintaining good biosecurity on their premises.
“We are urgently looking for any evidence of disease spread associated with this strain to control and eliminate it.”
Dr Gavin Dabrera, public health consultant at PHE, said: “Avian flu is primarily a disease of birds and the risk to the general public’s health is very low.
“As a precaution, we are offering public health advice and antivirals to those who had contact with the affected birds, as is standard practice.”
The Food Standards Agency said that food safety is not at risk.