Bird flu has been found in a flock of farmed pheasants in Lancashire, the UK’s chief veterinary officer has confirmed.
Some of the birds at the farm in Preston had already died and the remaining live animals would be humanely culled after the discovery of the H5N8 strain, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said in a statement.
A two-mile protection zone and six-mile surveillance zone have been put in place around the farm to limit the risk of the disease spreading, it said.
The flock of breeding pheasants is estimated to contain around 10,000 birds, but Public Health England has advised that the risk to public health from the virus is very low, while the Food Standards Agency insisted that the disease did not pose a food safety risk to consumers.
A full investigation is under way to determine the source of the infection at the commercial game farm.
It comes after outbreaks of the same H5N8 strain at two separate poultry farms in Lincolnshire and in backyard flocks in Settle, North Yorkshire, and Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales.
Restrictions remain in place at one of the Lincolnshire farms, located in East Lindsey, but have been lifted in nearby Louth. The cases in Settle and Carmarthenshire continue to be subject to protection zones, according to Defra’s website.
Poultry owners across Britain have been told they must keep their chickens, ducks and geese away from wild birds until the start of spring to counter the threat of avian influenza. Keepers, including people with just a few garden hens, must place poultry indoors or take other measures to reduce the chances of them coming into contact with wild birds.
The prevention measures were initially imposed on 6 December but keepers had been hoping that birds used to roaming free would be allowed out this month. In the new year, Defra announced that the restrictions would be maintained in England until 28 February.
Similar moves have been made in Scotland and Wales and there is a Britain-wide ban on poultry shows and gatherings.
