New restrictions introduced as Defra issues heightened avian flu risk warning

Defra has issued a heightened avian flu risk warning to bird keepers.

Officials are urging commercial poultry keepers, gamebird rearers and shoot operators to strengthen their biosecurity efforts amid the increasing risk, most notably in coastal counties on bird migration routes and areas with a significant gamebird industry.

The warning comes alongside the introduction of additional mandatory biosecurity measures for gamebird operations in England as part of the Government’s avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ), which remains in force throughout Great Britain.

Updated measures

The updated biosecurity measures for gamebird rearers and shoot operators, which will come into effect from 26 August, include:

• Vehicles must be disinfected on first entry to the site and each day they are in use
• One feeding station to be provided per 60 released gamebirds
• Feeding and watering stations to be cleaned daily
• Feeding and, where possible, watering stations to be covered to avoid contamination
• Avoid feeding placed pheasants in release pens within 50m of water bodies frequented by ducks and other wildfowl
• Avoid feeding placed gamebirds in release pens within 500m of any poultry or other kept birds
• Daily checks of placed gamebirds in release pens for signs of avian flu during the open season

Full details of the updated measures can be found at the AIPZ page on the Government’s website.