A nasty strain of Avian Influenza (bird flu) has been confirmed in England and Wales
There are serious consequences if your birds contract AI and you will be responsible for the secondary cleansing and disinfection costs.
Defra’s Prevention Zone - what does this mean for me?
The Prevention Zone is largely about preventing wild bird contact with your own birds. It includes a suite of measures applicable to all poultry keepers; therefore if you have one hen in the garden or 100,000 commercial laying hens, you are responsible for meeting the requirements set out by DEFRA.
H5N8 is a nasty strain of the disease and has been confirmed in two backyard flocks and one commercial turkey flock in England and Wales since 20 December 2016. It is important that you protect your birds from infection which is likely to come from wild birds.
Where practically possible your birds must be housed; this applies to anyone and everyone keeping poultry, regardless of bird numbers. If it is not practically possible to keep your birds inside then you need to make sure that you have taken all possible steps to prevent your poultry from having contact with wild birds.
Consequences of Avian Influenza - what will happen if my birds get AI?
In the event of AI being confirmed in your flock, any surviving birds will be culled. You only receive compensation from Defra for any healthy birds (birds showing no signs or symptoms of the disease at the time of culling) at the value of the birds immediately before killing.
You are responsible for carrying out and paying for secondary cleansing and disinfection which will have significant financial implications for you.
This is also linked to when the UK can regain official disease-free status for AI from the World Organisation for Animal Health. Not being able to carry out secondary cleansing and disinfection or a delay in completion can have serious implications on international trade.