The Government has confirmed H5N8 avian flu at a farm near Thornton, Wyre, Lancashire.
The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer has confirmed H5N8 avian flu in a small backyard flock of chickens at a farm near Thornton, Wyre, Lancashire.
A 3km Protection Zone and a 10km Surveillance Zone have been put in place around the infected premises to limit the risk of the disease spreading. We have published full details of the controls in place.
The flock is estimated to contain around 30 birds. A number have died and the remaining live birds at the premises are being humanely culled. A full investigation is under way to determine the source of the infection.
Public Health England advises that the risk to public health from the virus is very low and the Food Standards Agency is clear that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers.
Measures to be lifted
The Government has only recently decided to relax the Avian Flu Prevention Zones and a ban on poultry gatherings, which are set to be lifted across England from 15 May.
The Government still advises keepers to follow industry standard best practice on biosecurity, including minimising movement in and out of bird enclosures, cleaning footwear, keeping areas where birds live clean and tidy and feeding birds indoors.
Before today's outbreak, the most recent case of H5N8 in poultry in England was confirmed on 24 February 2017 and the last finding in wild birds was on 10 March 2017.
In March, millions of UK free range eggs temporarily lost their status after hens were forced to spend weeks inside barns as part of the government's emergency bird flu measures.
