Are UK poultry farmers facing the highest risk winter yet for avian influenza?

Poultry farmers in the UK have been warned that they could face one of the worst winters yet for bird flu. The warning comes from The Pirbright Institute’s head of avian virology, Professor Ian Brown, who said the H5N1 strain of bird flu has become more able to spread, describing it as “almost a super strain”. It comes as all poultry in England and Northern Ireland have been ordered by the government to be housed inside due to escalating cases. The mandatory housing order came into force on 6 November and covers back yard flocks to commercial farms. Gary Ford, head of Strategy and Producer Engagement at the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA), welcomed the decision taken by the chief veterinary officer and Defra to extend the housing order across England. “That is the clarity and consistency that producers have been calling for. A national approach provides stronger protection for free-range birds and much-needed reassurance for farmers at this challenging time. ...