Our trading standards are issuing the call following an outbreak in Staffordshire. The 10km surveillance zone from that outbreak covers a small area including Doveridge, Somersal Herbert, and parts of Sudbury and local people should act now to protect birds they keep and avoid any further outbreaks of the disease.
The 10km surveillance zone requires keepers within the zone to follow guidance which includes:
- keeping a record of all poultry or poultry eggs that enter or leave your premises, except table eggs that are being moved direct to wholesale or retail premises to be sold directly to consumers
- not moving poultry, other captive birds, or mammals (including pigs) to or from premises where poultry or other captive birds are kept without a licence (there are exceptions for pets)
- not spreading poultry litter, manure or slurry, or removing them from your premises
Find out more about what is required by the surveillance zone and the area it covers.
To help reduce the risk of the disease spreading, all keepers of poultry and other captive birds across the county are also being urged to be extra vigilant in caring for their birds and to ensure they adhere to strict biosecurity standards. The risk of migratory wild birds infecting domestic birds rises as winter approaches.
Measures that owners across the county can take, whether they run a large commercial farm or keep birds in their back yard, include:
- keeping the area where the birds live clean and tidy, controlling rats and mice and regularly cleaning and disinfecting any hard surfaces
- keeping chickens and turkeys separate from ducks and geese
- carrying out regular maintenance checks on sheds
- placing birds’ feed and water in fully enclosed areas that are protected from wild birds and remove any spilled feed
- putting fencing around outdoor areas where birds are allowed and limit their access to ponds or areas visited by wild waterfowl
- cleaning and disinfecting footwear before and after entering premises where birds are kept
Our Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Carol Hart said:
“Unfortunately we have had another confirmed case of avian flu across the county border in Staffordshire and our Trading Standards officers are working with partner agencies to help reduce the spread of the disease.
“It’s important that anyone who has birds knows about the restrictions and follow the rules. Those within the 10km surveillance zone must observe the rules to keep their birds safe and stop further outbreaks.
“As winter approaches, now is also a good time to remind bird keepers and commercial farms of the measures they should take to keep their birds safe.”
Avian influenza (bird flu) is a notifiable animal disease. Anyone suspecting any type of avian influenza in poultry or captive birds must report it immediately by calling the Defra Rural Services, tel: 03000 200 301. Failure to do so is an offence.
If anyone finds dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks) or other dead wild birds, such as gulls or birds of prey, they should report them to the Defra helpline, tel: 03459 33 55 77. Defra has also launched a new online reporting system making it easier to report sightings of dead wild birds.