Shut the door to stop the spread
Maidenhead: Turkey owner worried by rise in bird flu
A farmer from Cookham is strongly encouraging bird owners to keep their animals indoors amid concerns over the spread of bird flu.
Tom C Copas of Copas Turkeys said that the disease is a ‘massive concern’ for them and ‘could be catastrophic’ for their business.
The call follows news of a growing number of cases of bird flu on commercial farms and in backyard birds across the country, propelled by high levels of disease in wild birds.
On Wednesday, regional housing measures for poultry and captive birds were introduced by the Government in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex to help stop the spread of the disease, officially known as avian influenza.
The measures mean that all bird keeps in those hotspots must keep their birds inside and follow the strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks.
Mr Copas said: “Currently the spread of bird flu is six weeks ahead of where it was last year, last year being the worst we have seen.
“As of yet, we are still dealing with last year’s variant as the UK has not
been clear of the disease this year.
“We expect the new variant to be even worse than the current when it arrives.
“Since last week we have heard of 16 new cases in the UK where entire farms have being culled.
“There have been cases which have seen 85 per cent mortality rates in just a few days, specifically in turkeys.”
Mr Copas added that geographically, he is lucky as this area does ‘not have lots of migrating wildlife that spread the disease’, unlike coastal regions.
But he warned owners of chickens or ducks to house their birds to help keep the disease at bay.
He explained that the farm is taking various steps to mitigate the chance of getting the disease.
This included housing birds in barns to lower the chances by 50 per cent.
The farm is also asking people to walk around the perimeters of its turkey paddocks to limit the footfall in areas outside the entrance to the turkey houses.
Mr Copas added the company is looking to get its turkeys processed as soon as possible in order to be ready for the busy festive season and avoid the looming threat of avian flu.
“Luckily we dry-age our turkeys to mature them so already they start earlier than some,” he said.
“But the sooner we can get the birds safe in our coldstore the better. Any birds that will be available this year for Christmas will indeed be very special.”
Dr Christine Middlemiss, the UK’s chief veterinary officer, said the country is seeing a growing number of bird flu cases on commercial farms and in backyard birds, driven by high levels of disease within wild varieties of birds.
She added: “We’re taking action already by implementing regional Avian Influenza Prevention Zones.
“But it is important that all bird keepers – wherever they are in the country – ensure that cleanliness and hygiene are at the forefront of their minds to keep their flocks safe and limit the impact of the outbreak.”