The farming industry was dealt another blow last night as a new case of bird flu was discovered in turkeys at a farm in England.
The farming industry was dealt another blow last night as a new case of bird flu was discovered in turkeys at a farm in England.
Government officials set a 1.8- mile exclusion zone around the farm in Norfolk, surrounded by a six-mile surveillance zone, plus a restricted zone taking in all of Suffolk and much of Norfolk where birds are restricted from moving freely.
Coming after a summer of misery for the farming industry already hit by foot-and-mouth and bluetongue, one Scottish farmer said the timing "couldn't be worse".
Some 5000 birds, including ducks and geese, were due to be culled after turkeys tested positive for the contagious H5 strain of the virus on a farm near Diss.
Further analysis was being carried out to determine whether the birds are infected with H5N1 pathogens, which can transmit the flu to humans.
Defra's deputy chief veterinary officer Fred Landeg said movements of birds, people and vehicles at the farm would be investigated in a bid to establish whether the outbreak had its origins in the UK or was spread from mainland Europe, where there have been a number of cases of bird flu.
The EU commission has been informed of the outbreak, while all poultry keepers on the GB poultry register will be notified.
One Scottish poultry farmer said that bird flu was now "a fact of life" for farmers, but said that steps could be taken to minimise the impact of any restrictions placed on breeders in the wake of an outbreak.
Jill Bowis, of Kintaline Farm near Oban, said: "Unfortunately bird flu is just going to be part of poultry-keeping life."
Ms Bowis said that poultry smallholders needed to be prepared for any restrictions on flocks by having adequate indoor areas for their birds.
The Scottish poultry industry is worth an estimated £135m a year.
Roger Lucy, who farms turkeys at Gartmorn Farm outside Alloa, said: "Christmas is of course a massively important time for us . . . The timing couldn't be worse for us."
The Food Standards Agency stressed last night that poultry was safe to eat, as long as it was cooked properly.
Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor in bacteriology at Aberdeen University, said that even if the H5N1 pathogens were present, there would be "no risk" to humans in Britain.
"You would have to be kissing the birds for it to pass to a human.
"In Asia where there have been cases of bird flu passing to humans, people have them running round their houses.
"There is just no risk to humans in Britain at all and our track record in dealing with outbreaks is very good."
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: We are asking poultry keepers to increase their vigilance in the wake of this and to look out for signs of disease but that is not to say that the outbreak is a cause for concern in Scotland at the moment."
