Authorities culls more poultry after new suspected flu outbreak
LONDON (AFP) — Authorities culled poultry on a sixth farm in eastern England after a new suspected bird flu outbreak, the environment ministry said Wednesday.
The cull of 68,000 birds was ordered a week after a case of the potentially lethal H5N1 strain of avian influenza was found on a farm near Diss, on the Norfolk-Suffolk county border.
In easily the biggest cull so far, 56,000 ducks, 9,000 turkeys and 3,000 geese were destroyed at the latest premises, deemed to have had "dangerous contact" with the original infected site.
"This decision has been taken based on new information which indicates the possibility that the poultry on this premise may have been exposed to infection," said acting chief vet Fred Landeg in a statement.
"I cannot emphasise enough that it is essential all poultry keepers practice the highest levels of biosecurity and report any suspicions of disease."
The location affected, which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs did not identify precisely, is within an existing surveillance zone set near the Norfolk-Suffolk border, which has been under restrictions since November 15.
On November 13 authorities ordered the slaughter of more than 6,000 poultry at a site near Diss, in the latest blow to Britain's farming industry after outbreaks of foot and mouth and blue tongue disease earlier this year.
The cull was subsequently widened to four neighbouring premises, and in all nearly 29,000 birds were slaughtered.
Suffolk, a large poultry producing area, was hit by an outbreak of H5N1 at a turkey farm in February.
