A case of avian influenza (bird flu) has been confirmed on a site near Donington, South Holland, Lincolnshire.
The highly pathogenic strain of the disease, (HPAI) H5N1, was confirmed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in commercial poultry on the site yesterday (Thursday, November 9).
As a result, there are now disease control zones in place around the premises: a 3km protection zone and a wider 10km surveillance zone.
All poultry on the premises will be humanely culled, according to Defra.
Bird flu
In this new bird flu season – commencing on October 1, 2023 – there has been one other case of bird flu confirmed in the UK. The case was confirmed near Strichen, Aberdeenshire in Scotland on October 23, 2023.
The risk of poultry exposure to bird flu in Great Britain is currently assessed as:
- Low (event is rare but does occur) (with medium uncertainty), where there are substantial biosecurity breaches and poor biosecurity;
- Low (event is rare but does occur) (with low uncertainty), where good biosecurity is applied.
The UK’s largest ever bird flu outbreak last year led to 295 cases confirmed in England since October 2021.
There were also 50 confirmed cases in Scotland, 15 in Wales and seven in Northern Ireland.
