Britain has declared a bird flu prevention zone after dozens of cases have been reported of the deadly virus.
Since the disease was found in wild and captive birds in England, Wales, and Scotland, bird keepers and farms have had to buckle down and toughen their biosecurity measures.
The stricter requirements include areas being cleaned more regularly and places with more than 500 birds implementing restricted access for non-essential people. If a worker comes across dead or sick birds, they have been informed to not pick them up if there was a suspected outbreak in the area.
Officials have reported that the virus is very low to the risk of public health.
The Chief Veterinary Officers for England, Scotland, and Wales put out a joint statement saying:
“Whether you keep just a few birds or thousands, you are now legally required to introduce higher biosecurity standards on your farm or smallholding–
It is in your interests to do so in order to protect your birds from this highly infectious disease —
The UK health agencies have confirmed that the risk to public health is very low and UK food standards agencies advise that bird flu poses a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.”
The new guidelines put in place for those who keep birds must:
- Keep domestic ducks and geese separate from other poultry;
- Ensure the areas where birds are kept are unattractive to wild birds, for example, by netting ponds and by removing wild bird food sources;
- Feed and water their birds in enclosed areas to discourage wild birds;
- Minimize movement into and out of bird enclosures;
- Cleanse and disinfect footwear and keep areas where birds live clean and tidy;
- Reduce any existing contamination by cleansing and disinfecting concrete areas and fencing off wet or boggy areas;
- Keep free-ranging birds within fenced areas, and ponds, watercourses, and permanent standing water must be fenced off (except in specific circumstances, e.g., zoo birds).
