MPs have called for 'fundamentally unfair' rules on poultry farmers' compensation for bird flu to be changed, as the UK's largest ever outbreak of the disease continues.
MPs say the compensation rules are unfair because payment is only made for healthy birds that are culled by government vets from the Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA).
However, because the current strain of bird flu kills birds so quickly, a large number of them die between the disease being notified by farmers and the arrival of the vets for culling.
This means that the longer farmers have to wait for their cull, the less compensation they get.
The latest outbreak of avian flu is the largest seen in the UK to date - over 170 cases have been detected in the UK since October 2021, leading to the culling of 3.2 million birds.
All poultry and captive birds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must now be housed indoors to prevent the spread of bird flu as mandatory measures were rolled out earlier this month.
The MPs, all of whom sit on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA), have written to Defra Secretary Dr Thérèse Coffey calling for changes to compensation.
They say compensation must be paid based on the number of birds alive in an affected flock at the point farmers report the outbreak - rather than on the number of birds that are later culled.
Other changes must be made to help the poultry sector cope with bird flu, the letter says, as well as details on what the government is doing to develop a vaccine against the disease.
Vaccination of poultry and other captive birds is not currently permitted in the UK and many countries will not allow the import of meat from animals that have been vaccinated against bird flu.
The letter comes as the NFU is currently supporting a group of members who have filed a legal challenge against APHA in a case about compensation.
The union said it had decided to join the case as an interested party in support of the members and the wider poultry sector.
The members bringing this case argue that APHA had misinterpreted the legislation on compensation paid to farmers.
Responding to the case, NFU poultry board chair, James Mottershead said the financial implications of the avian influenza outbreak were 'huge'.
"The emotional strain on affected farmers, their families and staff members is devastating, with many now forced to re-consider their future," he added.
"This is the worst outbreak of the disease in the UK to date, with no end in sight. We need this matter resolved as soon as possible.
