Deadly bird virus found on UK farm

THE Welsh Government has issued advice to farmers after a dangerous strain of bird flu has been confirmed on a turkey farm in the UK.

Christmas supplies are not expected to be affected and there’s no food risk.

The disease was detected in more than 5,000 birds on a poultry farm near Louth, Lincolnshire, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

Public Health England (PHE) said the risk to the public is “very low”.

It is the first confirmed case in Britain of the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain, circulating in countries across Europe.

Birds on the farm will be culled to prevent disease spread, with a 3km protec- tion zone put in place.

Around 10 million turkeys are consumed in the UK at Christmas, industry experts estimate.

Chief veterinary officer Nigel Gibbens said: “Bird keepers should remain alert for any signs of disease, report suspected disease immediately and ensure they are maintaining good biosecurity”.

Wales Environment and Rural Affairs Secretary Lesley Griffiths and its Chief Veterinary Officer Christianne Glossop, said: “On December 6, as a precautionary measure, [Ms Griffiths] ordered... keepers of poultry and other captive birds to keep their birds indoors, or take... steps to keep them separate from wild birds.”