New bird flu outbreaks in UK

There has been a new outbreak of bird flu in the United Kingdom just days after the government lifted an ordinance banning outdoor birding. A case of H5N1 has been confirmed in a free-ranging herd in Loudham, Nottinghamshire, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency has launched an investigation into the route of infection.

The order, made last year at the end of November, was lifted on 2 May after more than 100 cases were reported during the UK's more severe winter outbreak of the virus.

Aimee Mahoney, NFU's chief poultry adviser, said it was too early to tell if the flock was already infected before the ban on free-range birds was lifted. But it is clear, she said, that avian flu continues to pose a serious threat to the British poultry population, and that farm owners must remain vigilant and maintain strict biosecurity levels at the facilities.