Bird flu measures intensify as numbers rise

The government on Wednesday (12) has further expanded bird flu housing measures as case numbers continue to rise nationwide.

The avian flu outbreak continues to spread in the UK, with almost 1.8 million farmed and captive birds culled over the past three months while orders are issued in five more English counties to house flocks indoors from Sunday (16).

The government said it had acted quickly to cull all poultry on infected premises "to protect Britain's food security" but recognised the devastating impact it was having.

On Wednesday (12), farmers and bird-keepers in Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Lancashire were instructed to house their flocks from midnight on Feb 16. Housing orders are already in place across East Riding of Yorkshire, City of Kingston upon Hull, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Shropshire, York and North Yorkshire.

The move follows a ban on gatherings of poultry, galliformes or anseriformes birds across the UK earlier this week.

According to BBC, there have been 33 outbreaks of the virus on farms, with almost 1.8 million farmed and captive birds culled over the past three months.

The risk to humans remains low, with chicken and eggs safe to eat if properly cooked, but there are concerns about the impact bird flu is having on farmers' mental health.

Gary Ford, of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association, said there was "a lot of worry and concern amongst poultry farmers and, in some respects, panic".

James Mottershead, chairman of the National Farmers' Union poultry board, said bird flu outbreaks were putting a "huge emotional and financial strain on farming families".

"Farmers take such care to protect the health and welfare of their birds and it's devastating to see that compromised," he added.

A Defra spokeswoman said compensation would be paid to any farmer for all healthy birds that have been culled for disease control purposes.

"We know the devastating impact bird flu has had on farmers and poultry producers, which is why we have taken further measures in recent weeks, including introducing housing orders in the most affected areas," she said.

"We have acted quickly to cull all poultry on infected premises to stop the risk of the disease spreading and to protect Britain's food security."