Best practice for bird flu

We are extremely worried about bird flu. Should we ask our beaters and pickers-up to disinfect their vehicles if they going to other shoots and handling other shoot’s birds?

You are not alone. Avian influenza is a huge worry, and no one quite knows what is going to happen between now and the end of the season, never mind what is going to happen next spring. I see where you are coming from with the disinfecting of vehicles, and it can do no harm, but I doubt it will make much difference when avian influenza has managed to find its way into even the most secure of commercial poultry units. If someone has been on a shoot where an outbreak is confirmed, it would be wise to ask them to stay away until the shoot is given the all clear, and the related area restrictions have been lifted. People who would normally travel through the zones to shoot and beat should be asked to find alternative routes, and people living within them should be asked to stay at home. LB