September 15, 2022

 

UK hit by biggest bird flu outbreak, 2.8 million birds killed

 

 

The UK government said it is coping with its biggest outbreak of bird flu, with 2.8 million poultry and captive birds killed in 2022 so far, The Independent reported.

 

In commercial buildings across the nation, there have been 144 outbreaks as of this writing, with 120 outbreaks in England, 11 in Scotland, 7 in Wales, and 6 in Northern Ireland.

 

Despite the millions of birds that were killed because of infection, the UK government said that these numbers only make up a small portion of the total poultry production, which entails the weekly slaughter of about 20 million birds.

 

The risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza infestation in wild birds is currently rated as "medium" by the government, which denotes that it occurs frequently.

 

According to the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), a total of more than 1,600 wild birds have tested positive, but the true scope of the issue is much greater.

 

to James Mottershead, chairman of the National Farmers' Union poultry council, said UKTN poultry farmers don't want to see another year like this. He implored those who keep birds to implement stringent biosecurity measures to protect livestock.

 

He said the poultry industry has had a very challenging year due to the threat of bird flu, and in order to prevent another year like this, they want to collaborate with the government to reduce the impact of future bird flu outbreaks.

 

Peter Stevenson, the chief policy advisor at the animal welfare advocacy group Compassion in World Farming, said the new figures are "shocking" and may jeopardise the switch from caged chickens to free-range hens for the production of eggs.

 

He said this causes the birds great suffering, both while they are sick and when they are killed, or what Defra calls "cleared."

 

According to UK regulations, farmers can only designate their eggs as "free range" if the birds spend less than 40 weeks per year outside.

 

Dr Gavin Watkins, Wales' deputy chief veterinary officer, said the statistics for the nation are worrying, calling it evidence of the ongoing risk that there is.

 

The RSPB is requesting that the government create a special task force to create a national response strategy.

 

-      The Independent