Case of bird flu confirmed in farm worker

The announcement came soon after the decision to place the whole of Shropshire into an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ), following an outbreak of bird flu at a farm in the county.

This means anyone who has birds in Shropshire must house their animals.

This applies whether or not you have just one or two chickens in a back garden right up to large commercial flocks.

Alongside this move, the rest of England has also seen new bird flu measures put in place, though these are not as strong as those in Shropshire.

It means everyone with birds must now follow enhanced biosecurity measures. Including;

At the site of the Shropshire outbreak, the killing and disposal of a million egg-laying birds at a farm just outside Wem continues.

In a statement, the Griffiths family, who run the farm, told the BBC the outbreak was “devastating news”.

Overall levels of bird flu have not reached the peak of recent years, but anyone with birds is asked to remain vigilant.

There is no risk to the public from eating poultry or eggs, but if more commercial egg-laying flocks are impacted, it could affect the price of eggs in the shops.