April 18, 2013

Bernard Matthews farm in UK reports presence of bird flu

Following notification by UK's Bernard Matthews after some birds showed signs of ill health over the weekend, the company confirmed that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has undertaken tests for avian influenza on one of its farms.

The tests have detected the presence of bird flu virus, but DEFRA has confirmed it is not the highly pathogenic types H5 or H7.

As a precaution, the farm remains currently under movement restrictions but these are expected to be lifted in the next few days. Bernard Matthews other operations continue to run as normal.