Bird flu confirmed on poultry farm in Yorkshire

LONDON: Cases of bird flu have been confirmed in a commercial poultry farm in Yorkshire.

All poultry on the premises near Hornsea in the East Riding will be humanely killed, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

A protection zone of 3km (1.86 miles) has been put in place around the site, which has not been identified.

Defra said a surveillance zone of covering 10km (6.21 miles) around the farm was also in place. Tests found the H5N5 strain of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was present at the Hornsea site.

It is the first case of the strain found in poultry or captive birds in England during the current outbreak.

Defra said the H5N5 and H5N1, which has been more common in recent years, have been found in wild birds in Britain during the autumn where the risk level for the H5 strain has been raised from medium to high. It remains low in poultry

All bird keepers have been urged to remain vigilant and take steps to protect their animals.

The UK Health Security Agency said the risk to the general public’s health is very low, while the Food Standards Agency has said bird flu poses a very low food safety risk with properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, safe to eat.