[ad_1]
Millions of free-range chickens and other birds will have to be kept indoors by December 14, in a national government crackdown to try to limit the spread of a virulent strain of bird flu across Britain.
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said in a statement that leading veterinarians in England, Scotland and Wales had agreed on the new legal requirement for all birdkeepers to bring their flocks indoors. to keep them separate from potentially infectious wild birds.
The restriction, which has already been introduced in the Netherlands, applies not only to large commercial poultry farms, but also to small farmers with hens in garden pens. Birdkeepers are advised to use the next 11 days to prepare for the new measures, including measures to safeguard animal welfare, consult with the veterinarian and, if necessary, erect additional housing or nets.
Eggs can continue to be marketed and labeled as “free range” for 16 weeks after the birds are brought into the house, but if the restrictions last longer they must be labeled as “barn eggs”. Likewise, poultry meat can be labeled free-range for 12 weeks.
On Sunday, all 10,500 turkeys on a North Yorkshire farm in Northallerton were culled after an outbreak was identified on Saturday, while a temporary control zone of 3km (2 miles) and 10km was established to stop the spread of the disease. disease. About 13,500 birds were culled earlier this month following confirmation of an avian flu outbreak on a commercial farm in Helsby near Frodsham in Cheshire.
Defra reiterated that the risk to human health and food safety from the virus was “very low”.
British and European farmers have been on high alert after highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks among wild and domestic birds in western Russia and Kazakhstan. Wild birds that migrate from continental Europe during the winter period can spread the disease to poultry and other captive birds.
In a joint statement, Britain’s top three veterinarians said: “We have taken swift action to limit the spread of the disease and are now planning to introduce a legal requirement for bird keepers to keep their birds in housing or otherwise separated from wild birds. We didn’t take this decision lightly, but it’s the best way to protect your birds from this highly infectious disease. “
Source link
