A regional Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) has today (Wednesday, August 31) been declared in parts of southwest England, following a number of detections of avian influenza (bird flu) in poultry and wild and captive birds in the area.
It applies to Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Somerset immediately.
Within the AIPZ it is a legal requirement for all bird keepers to implement enhanced biosecurity measures to help their flocks. These mandatory measures are outlined in the AIPZ declaration published online by Defra.
This follows two confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in the southwest on Monday (August 29), one at premises near Constantine, Camborne and Redruth, Cornwall and one at a premises near Paignton, Torbay, Devon.
A 3km Protection Zone and 10km Surveillance Zone was declared around the Cornwall premises and all poultry on the premises will be humanely culled.
At the Devon premises however, the case was confirmed in captive wild birds (non-poultry) and so a 3km Captive Bird (Monitoring) Controlled Zone has been put in place around the premises. Affected birds will also be humanely culled.
There are now currently seven (out of the 12 in England) disease-control zones in force across Devon.
Bird flu
Also today, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Welsh government set out guidance in response to the growing threat of avian influenza to wild birds with the publication of their ‘Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales’ guidance.
The new guidance sets out how the countries can mitigate the impact of bird flu on wild bird populations, and advises land managers on how to make natural areas safe for the public and on having contingency plans in place to allow them to quickly respond to outbreaks.
