Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Turkeys Slaughtered At Second Farm

Updated:10:57, Thursday November 15, 2007
<H2>Vets have begun a second slaughter of turkeys amid fears the deadly bird flu virus has spread to another farm in Suffolk.

</H2>

More turkeys are being culled

Around 30 dead birds were found at Grove Farm in Botesdale, which is one of the farms closest to Sunday's H5N1 outbreak at Redgrave Park farm.
There are around 5,500 turkeys at Grove Farm, where tests are currently being carried out to see if it is the deadly H5N1 strain.
If results prove positive, a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone will be placed around the premises.
The Grove Farm turkeys were due to be culled as a precautionary measure after Defra assessed they had had "dangerous contact" with the initial case of the virus.
But overnight the cull became one of "slaughter on suspicion" when animal health officials turning up to kill the birds found a number of them had already died.
There are fears the virus may have spread to three other sites by staff who work at more than one farm.
Further planned culls mean a total of 22,000 free-range turkeys will be put to death in addition to the 6,500 turkeys, ducks and geese which have already been culled at the free-range rearing unit at Redgrave Park.
A Unite union official said the most pressing concern was to isolate and then contain the outbreak.
Food & agriculture officer Chris Kaufman explained: "The authorities learnt a great deal from the Bernard Matthews outbreak.
"So they should swing into action like a well-oiled machine to try to limit the effects of this latest outbreak.
"Taking prompt action should certainly reassure the local population on health grounds and the wider consuming public on food safety grounds."

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1292970,00.html?f=rss

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11150701/H5N1_Suffolk_Second.html

sharon sanders · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Note to moderators -

Please do not split or move this thread even though it is getting lengthy. It is being cited.

Thanks,

S.

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD>Bird flu 'may have hit second farm'

By Nick Allen
Last Updated: 12:10pm GMT 15/11/2007



<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>The bird flu crisis escalated today as vets said the virus may have spread to a second farm a few kilometres from the initial outbreak.
Telegraph TV: Farmer describes bird flu outbreak
Q&A: Bird flu Turkeys at Grove Farm near Botesdale in Suffolk were being slaughtered on suspicion of having the disease.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=238 align=right border=0 hspace="0"><TBODY><TR><TD width=8 rowSpan=2> </TD><TD width=230><CENTER>

</CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD class=caption><CENTER>Turkeys are being kept indoors within a surveillance zone near the outbreak

</CENTER></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The site is within a 3km protection zone established around Redgrave Park Farm where the deadly H5N1 virus was first discovered on Sunday.
A precautionary cull had already been ordered at Grove Farm because it is owned by the same firm as Redgrave Park Farm but when animal health officals turned up they found a number of birds deed.
The two farms and three others also run by Redgrave Poultry are all staffed by the same five workers and vets believe they or their vehicles could have transferred the virus.
In all nearly 30,000 turkeys are being gassed at the five farms.
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Vets have yet to establish how the virus arrived in Suffolk.
It is the same strain that caused outbreaks in Germany and Bohemia this summer and one theory is that it was brought by migrating birds which settled on an ornamental lake near Redgrave Park Farm.
A Redgrave Poultry spokesman denied suggestions that the disease could have come from imported ducklings from the Netherlands.
Young ducks, turkeys and geese at all five farms, and all their feed, were sourced from the UK, he said.
The Dutch farm ministry said only one consignment of ducklings had gone recently to the UK and the delivery was 50km away from where the outbreak occurred.
Another lin of inquiry is that Gressingham Foods, of which Redgrave Poultry is a subsidiary, also imports specialist meats like barbary duck and poussin which are processed at a plant less than a kilometre from the scene of the outbreak.
The possible spread of the disease to another farm was a bitter blow to the ?3.4 billion poultry industry and there were warnings that supply shortages could mean consumers have to pay more than ?100 for an organic Christmas turkey.
A total of 1,200 poultry producers, with 25 million birds - including two million turkeys - lie inside a restricted zone imposed on the whole of Suffolk and most of Norfolk and are barred from moving their flocks outside it.
Within 10km of the outbreak, there are 89 producers who have had to isolate four million birds.
The restrictions on them will only be lifted 30 days after the outbreak is declared over, meaning the birds may not make it to stores in time for Christmas.
Investigators are looking at disinfectant procedures on the five Redgrave Poultry farms and also trying to establish if people or vehicles from there travelled to other parts of the UK.
?If there is evidence of a movement elsewhere in the country we will have to take precautions,? a source said.
Jeremy Blackburn, a spokesman for the British Poultry Council, urged the public to back British turkey.
?At the moment we haven?t seen a noticeable drop in sales,? he said.
The other three farms involved are Stone House Farm in West Harling, Norfolk, Bridge Farm in Pulham, Norfolk, and Hill Meadow in Knettishall, Suffolk.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Gert van der Hoek · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Movement restrictions and advice in place for avian flu

News | 15 November, 2007

Read what you can do and what you cannot do

http://www.farmersguardian.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=14384

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/movements/index.htm

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Second cull of turkeys under way
MICHAEL POLLITT, EDP RURAL AFFAIRS EDITOR

15 November 2007 14:12

A cull of a second flock of 5,500 turkeys has started today - about a mile from the Redgrave farm at the centre of the first outbreak of bird flu, Defra officials have confirmed.

The free-range turkey enterprise is regarded officially as “slaughter on suspicion” because Defra's Animal Health staff found dead birds at Grove Farm, Botesdale.

A spokesman for Defra said when officials arrived about 50 dead turkeys were found , so it was decided to slaughter the flock as a priority to prevent possible spread of the highly-pathogenic H5N1 strain of the virus.

However, a low level of mortality among turkeys, especially more fully-grown birds, is not unusual. And a statement, on behalf of Redgrave Poultry, the subsidiary of Gressingham Foods, added: “Defra's vets found about 0.5pc loss in the flock at Grove farm yesterday. It is worth noting that a normal aspect of production is the loss of a small proportion of birds.”

The latest cull at Grove Farm was originally designated by Defra as a “dangerous contact” and was one of four flocks to be slaughtered as a precaution to prevent further spread of bird flu. All the farms had links with Redgrave Poultry because members of the farm staff were looking after the birds.

Geoffrey Buchanan, operations director for Gressingham Foods, the Woodbridge-based poultry specialist, said that the cull at Redgrave Park Farm had been completed.

He said that Defra planned to slaughter the birds at Botesdale and then Hill Meadow Farm, Knettishall. The other flocks at Stone House Farm, West Harling and Bridge Farm, Pulham, are also regarded as “dangerous contacts” and will be culled in due course.

A total of 22,000 turkeys plus about 6,500 turkeys, ducks and geese, will be culled as part of Defra's control strategy.

Mr Buchanan also said that “to date, Defra's tests have not shown any evidence of avian influenza at any of the five farms other than Redgrave Park.

“We hope to know by tomorrow (Friday) morning if Defra's tests find avian influenza in the samples taken at Grove farm,” he added.

He also robustly rejected speculative reports in some national newspaper about the reasons for the cause of the outbreak. It has been suggested that day-old ducklings might have been imported from Holland and this claimed was firmly denied in today's edition of the EDP.

Mr Buchanan said: “We know of no direct link with the Netherlands and the five farms involved. All of our turkey poults and the feed are from the UK. The geese and ducks at Redgrave Park farm were also from the UK.”

In a statement yesterday, Mr Buchanan, said: “The ducks on the (Redgrave) farm are of the Pekin breed, although all were hatched and reared in the UK.”

And Defra said that the results of tests from the first IP (infected premises) on the 1,000 ducks and 500 geese were still awaited.

http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/News/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED15%20Nov%202007%2014%3A12%3A51%3A497

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

22,000 CULLED IN BIRD FLU OUTBREAK

Many turkeys died before the cull

Thursday November 15,2007

By Nicola McCafferty for express.co.uk

Have your say(1)

WILDFOWL on four more farms in East Anglia are to be culled on suspicion that the birds are infected with deadly birdflu, Defra announced today.

The 5,500 turkeys at Grove Farm in Botisdale, Suffolk are among birds on four farms to be slaughtered as a precautionary measure after Defra assessed that the birds had come into ?dangerous contact? with poultry carrying the deadly HN51 strain.

Defra confirmed that whilst the poultry had been exposed to the bird flu virus, there was still no disease detected at the new sites.

The cull has been branded one of ?slaughter on suspicion,? and although animal health officials turned up during the night to cull the birds, many of them were already dead.

<TABLE style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: none" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=moreImagesCaption>Police seal off the road to Grove Farm, Botisdale, Suffolk. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

All four farms are operated by the same company as the free-range rearing unit in Redgrave, Suffolk, at the centre of the outbreak.

Grove farm is within the 3km (two mile) restricted area set-up around Redgrave Park farm in Suffolk.

The other three farms are outside the 10km (six-mile) surveillance zone but are within the restricted zone which covers Suffolk and most of Norfolk.

They are: Stone House Farm in West Harling; Bridge Farm in Pulham, Norfolk; Grove Farm in Botisdale, Suffolk and Hill Meadow in Knetishall, Suffolk.

In all 22,000 free-range turkeys will be slaughtered.
<FORM action=/posts/search/>
</FORM>Already 6,500 turkeys, ducks are geese have been culled at Redgrave Park farm.

Heather Peck, Defra?s regional operations director for the affected area, said samples from all four locations would be tested, but so far there had not been any poultry infected with HN51 found.

She added that as part of the surveillance operations, samples has also been taken from other sites.

The zone was set-up after turkeys at Redgrave Park farm were found to be infected with the HN51 avian flu.

Despite speculation that the infection spread from wild birds landing on a lake nearby, a Defra report later said it was most likely the infection reached the flock via imported turkey meat from Hungary.

Dr Landeg, acting chief veterinary officer, said animal health experts were keeping an open mind and investigating all the possibilities.

It has also been confirmed that there are more than four million turkeys, chickens, ducks and geese on the GB Poultry Register in the 10km (six-mile) surveillance zone around Redgrave, Suffolk.

A further 25 million birds are registered in the wider restricted area.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/25295/22-000-culled-in-bird-flu-outbreak

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/25295/22-000-culled-in-bird-flu-outbreak

22,000 CULLED IN BIRD FLU OUTBREAK

Many turkeys died before the cull
http://www.express.co.uk/myexpress/

Thursday November 15,2007

By Nicola McCafferty for express.co.uk

Have your say(1)

WILDFOWL on four more farms in East Anglia are to be culled on suspicion that the birds are infected with deadly birdflu, Defra announced today.

The 5,500 turkeys at Grove Farm in Botisdale, Suffolk are among birds on four farms to be slaughtered as a precautionary measure after Defra assessed that the birds had come into “dangerous contact” with poultry carrying the deadly HN51 strain.

Defra confirmed that whilst the poultry had been exposed to the bird flu virus, there was still no disease detected at the new sites.

The cull has been branded one of “slaughter on suspicion,” and although animal health officials turned up during the night to cull the birds, many of them were already dead.

<TABLE style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: none" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=moreImagesCaption>Police seal off the road to Grove Farm, Botisdale, Suffolk. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

All four farms are operated by the same company as the free-range rearing unit in Redgrave, Suffolk, at the centre of the outbreak.

Grove farm is within the 3km (two mile) restricted area set-up around Redgrave Park farm in Suffolk.

The other three farms are outside the 10km (six-mile) surveillance zone but are within the restricted zone which covers Suffolk and most of Norfolk.

They are: Stone House Farm in West Harling; Bridge Farm in Pulham, Norfolk; Grove Farm in Botisdale, Suffolk and Hill Meadow in Knetishall, Suffolk.

In all 22,000 free-range turkeys will be slaughtered.
<FORM action=/posts/search/>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=534 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> </TD><TD>
</TD><TD style="WIDTH: 125px"> </TD><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Already 6,500 turkeys, ducks are geese have been culled at Redgrave Park farm.

Heather Peck, Defra’s regional operations director for the affected area, said samples from all four locations would be tested, but so far there had not been any poultry infected with HN51 found.

She added that as part of the surveillance operations, samples has also been taken from other sites.

The zone was set-up after turkeys at Redgrave Park farm were found to be infected with the HN51 avian flu.

Despite speculation that the infection spread from wild birds landing on a lake nearby, a Defra report later said it was most likely the infection reached the flock via imported turkey meat from Hungary.

Dr Landeg, acting chief veterinary officer, said animal health experts were keeping an open mind and investigating all the possibilities.

It has also been confirmed that there are more than four million turkeys, chickens, ducks and geese on the GB Poultry Register in the 10km (six-mile) surveillance zone around Redgrave, Suffolk.

A further 25 million birds are registered in the wider restricted area.

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

niman said:
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/25295/22-000-culled-in-bird-flu-outbreak

Heather Peck, Defra’s regional operations director for the affected area, said samples from all four locations would be tested, but so far there had not been any poultry infected with HN51 found.

Statements on negative results on tests that have not been run do not build confidence in agencies issuing such double talk or in media that publish the nonsense.

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Bird flu cull leads to 'festive crisis' fears
<AUTHOR>By Jonathan Brown</AUTHOR>

Published: 15 November 2007

It is the last thing the British food industry needed. Just weeks before Christmas, white-suited vets are being despatched to the countryside to begin the cull of thousands of turkeys infected with a highly lethal strain of bird flu.
Industry commentators warn of an impending festive crisis, with claims that the cost of a Yuletide turkey could hit more than ?100.
But yesterday, despite news that a further 24,000 birds were being slaughtered in East Anglia because of fears they may have come into "dangerous contact" with poultry already confirmed with the H5N1 virus, farmers, retailers and scientists insisted the latest outbreak of the disease was under control and unlikely to have an impact on consumers.
As experts sought to confirm the origin of the virus, the acting chief veterinary officer Fred Landeg said the culling of poultry on four premises in Norfolk and Suffolk was merely a "precautionary measure" and there was no evidence that the virus, potentially fatal to humans, was spreading. All four farms are operated by Gressingham Foods, whose subsidiary Redgrave Poultry runs the free-range Redgrave Park site where the outbreak was first identified.
One of the new sites is inside the 3km protection zone, while the other three are outside the 10km surveillance area but within the larger restricted zone which covers Suffolk and most of Norfolk. It is believed the disease may have been carried by staff working across the sites.
Mr Landeg urged all poultry keepers to remain extra vigilant. "At this stage we have not confirmed disease on any of these four premises. This is a precautionary measure taken to prevent any potential spread of the disease," he said.
Jeremy Blackburn, of the British Poultry Council, said that of the 17 million turkeys eaten each year in the UK, 10 million are consumed at Christmas. But while these are anxious times for farmers, suggestions of soaring prices were "extremely spurious", he added. East Anglia is one of three turkey breeding hotspots, along with the East Riding of Yorkshire and Wales.
The loss of 28,500 birds, while sad, remained unlikely to affect overall supply, said the National Farmers' Union. The NFU poultry board chairman Charles Bourns admitted the situation was serious but said: "I think this is a disease on the one farm, and I don't think it is going to get out and kill five million birds."
However, Defra confirmed there are more than four million turkeys, chickens, ducks and geese on the GB Poultry Register within the current surveillance zone, with a further 25 million birds registered in the wider restricted area.
Scientists are working on the theory that the virus is related to an outbreak of bird flu in dom-estic poultry in Germany and the Czech Republic earlier this year, suggesting it may have been spread by migrating birds ? a claim hotly denied by the RSPB, which said there was no evidence of the disease in the wild populations currently in the UK.
One crumb of comfort for farmers is that free range birds ? a tiny fraction of the overall number of farmed birds but most susceptible to infection under the wild bird theory ? had already been taken indoors under EU rules in preparation for slaughter. In addition, more than 60 per cent of turkeys eaten at Christmas are bought frozen, meaning they had already been slaughtered and processed long before the current outbreak began.
There was no evidence yesterday of sudden turkey inflation. Tesco was offering an 8.8kg Bernard Matthews extra large turkey for half price at ?16, while a 4.4kg bronze turkey was ?12. Of more concern will be whether consumers keep faith with poultry. The February outbreak of bird flu at a Bernard Matthews farm cost the British poultry industry ?9.4m in lost sales over a 12-week period when sales dropped 29 per cent.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article3160639.ece

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

More culling in UK fight against bird flu

The UK agriculture ministry, battling to fight the spread of deadly H5N1 bird flu, said it would cull poultry at four more sites as a precaution.
"This is a precautionary measure taken to prevent any potential spread of the disease," Acting Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg said, adding there were no confirmed cases at the four premises.
The ministry began on Tuesday to cull about 6,000 birds at the Redgrave Park farm in Norfolk where the virus has been confirmed.
The virulent H5N1 strain has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003 and millions of birds either have died from it or been killed to prevent its spread.
Redgrave Poultry, which runs the small organic farm where the outbreak has been confirmed, said it also operated the four other sites, Stone House Farm in West Harling, Bridge Farm in Pulham, Grove Farm in Botesale and Hill Meadow in Knetishall.
All the farms share the same staff.
"Each farm is too small for a dedicated staff, so a small team of people run this cluster of farms," it said in a statement, adding in total 22,000 free range turkeys will be culled at the 4 additional premises.
The farm ministry has imposed a 3km protection zone, 10km surveillance zone and a wider restricted zone. In these areas, poultry must be isolated from wild birds and there are movement restrictions.
"For the moment, as things stand, we are hopeful that swift action has contained it," Jeremy Blackburn, Executive Officer for the British Poultry Council said.
There was an outbreak of the H5N1 virus strain in February at a turkey farm in Suffolk.
CHRISTMAS DEMAND
The potential for the virus to spread to other turkeys is set to diminish rapidly soon when producers begin to kill the birds in preparation for Christmas.
"They do start killing for Christmas next week so the number of turkeys about will get less and less very rapidly," NFU Poultry Board Chairman Charles Bourns said.
About 10 million turkeys are consumed every Christmas of which about 5 million are fresh and 5 million are frozen.
Blackburn said frozen turkeys were killed around the middle of the year so those remaining were fresh birds. These are spread widely across the whole of the UK.
"There is security of supply," he said.
Bourns said most turkeys were eaten at Christmas.
"Most of the year-round turkey is imported from eastern Europe and Brazil. Our main production in the United Kingdom is Christmas," he said.
Bird flu is just the latest blow for farmers still reeling from outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and bluetongue.
But perhaps the most damaging setback for the livestock sector this year has, however, been soaring feed costs.
"To be honest, bird flu is not keeping me awake at night. What is keeping me awake at night are the regulatory costs and the high feed costs this year. Feed has gone up by 100 pounds a tonne," the Poultry Board's Bourns said.
"If we don't get enough for our chicken and turkeys there won't be an industry so you won't have to worry about avian influenza then," he added.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/print/4274299a12.html

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

UK fears bird flu may have spread to second farm

Thu 15 Nov 2007, 16:34 GMT

[-] Text [+]

LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - A deadly bird flu virus may have spread to another site in Britain, with suspicious deaths at a turkey farm in Suffolk, the farm ministry said on Thursday.
"During preparations for culling at one of the premises which is located in the protection zone, a notifiable disease could not be ruled out," a spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.
The deadly H5N1 bird flu strain was confirmed at a farm in eastern England earlier this week. Suspicious deaths of turkeys at a nearby farm led to fears that virus may have spread, she said.
"All the poultry on the Suffolk premises are being culled under the slaughter-on-suspicion policy. At this stage we cannot confirm whether or not the disease is present," she added, noting samples had been taken and results were awaited.
Redgrave Poultry said the disease was originally confirmed at the Redgrave Park farm near Diss, Norfolk. The company said on Thursday the second site was Grove Farm in Botesdale.
Grove Farm shares the same workforce as Redgrave Park.
Defra said 5,500 free-range turkeys would be culled at the second farm.
"Defra vets found about 0.5 percent loss in the flock at Grove farm yesterday. It is worth noting that a normal aspect of production is the loss of a small proportion of birds," Redgrave Poultry said in a statement.
Defra had announced on Wednesday that poultry would be culled at four sites which had "dangerous contacts" with the infected farm as a precautionary measure. Redgrave said these included Grove Farm.
The virulent H5N1 strain has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003 and millions of birds either have died from it or been killed to prevent its spread.
Britain's farm ministry has imposed a 3-km (2-mile) protection zone, 10-km (4-mile) surveillance zone and a wider restricted zone. In these areas, poultry must be isolated from wild birds and there are movement restrictions.
Britain had an outbreak of the H5N1 virus strain in February at a turkey farm in Suffolk, eastern England. (Reporting by Nigel Hunt; Editing by Michael Roddy)

http://africa.reuters.com/commodities/news/usnL15917688.html

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

niman said:
UK fears bird flu may have spread to second farm

Thu 15 Nov 2007, 16:34 GMT
"During preparations for culling at one of the premises which is located in the protection zone, a notifiable disease could not be ruled out," a spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.
http://africa.reuters.com/commodities/news/usnL15917688.html

Sounds like government speak for a positive rapid test for H5N1 (which can't be "confirmed" because the results of the confirmatory tests are not in yet).

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Poultry culled in fears that avian flu may have spread to a second farm

Valerie Elliott, Countrsyide Editor

Poultry suspected of being infected with avian flu were being culled at a second farm in Suffolk yesterday.
Test results today will confirm whether 30 turkeys found dead at Grove Farm, Botesdale, were infected with the lethal virus. Grove Farm is within the 3km exclusion zone around Redgrave Park Farm where suspected bird flu was confirmed as the H5N1 strain on Monday. Government veterinary experts are also anxious to learn if ducks and geese at the organic Redgrave Park Farm were also infected.
The next day or two are critical to find out whether the virus is spreading to other farms and if the virus is now circulating in the local wild bird population.
Fred Landeg, the Government?s acting chief veterinary officer, has asked all poultry keepers and hobby farmers to be vigilant and to keep check on their birds. All poultry are supposed to be kept indoors while the threat of the virus remains in East Anglia ? one of the biggest poultry production regions in the country with some 25 million farmed birds, 5 million of which are sold for the Christmas market.
Veterinary epidemiologists are still uncertain how the virus was brought to Redgrave Park Farm but the main focus is to ensure that it is not spreading.
Investigations are continuing into whether there is any connection with outbreaks in southern Germany and the Czech Republic this summer. The Suffolk strain of H5N1 is almost identical to that found on the continent.
As The Times reported yesterday the investigation is also focusing on imports of one-day-old ducklings from the Netherlands. Even though these chicks were not reared at Redgrave Park Farm, it is possible that the virus was transported in the vehicles or crates transporting the ducks.
Animal health officers are meticulously scouring paperwork to find any possible link to the virus outbreaks on the continent.
Peter Ainsworth, Conservative rural affairs spokesman, last night tabled a series of questions asking the Government to disclose whether any poultry meat had been imported to the UK from Germany and the Czech Republic in recent months.
He told The Times: ?It looks increasingly doubtful that wild birds are to blame for this outbreak and we must therefore look at other options.?
The virus can live in faeces that can be transferred by vehicles, drivers, farm staff, bird crates, packaging, feathers or live birds. It can travel on foot-wear and on tyres. The virus in faeces can survive form a few days to several weeks depending on conditions such as temperature and humidity.
Ornithological experts meanwhile remain baffled and sceptical that the disease was brought by wild birds. After the German outbreak, not a single infected wild bird was found.
Poultry farmers are incensed y what they perceive as lax biosecurity at the farm which allowed turkeys, geese and ducks to mingle with wild birds near an ornamental lake. Many are now demanding new rules for free-range and organic birds and for the Government to regulate rather than offer guidance about the need to keep outdoor farmed birds away from places where wild birds congregate.

?3bn industry
? UK sales of poultry are worth ?3.5 billion at retail
? Fresh chicken sales are worth ?2.1 billion
? UK turkey market worth ?375 million to ?400 million
? Fresh turkey sales account for ?240 million
? There are 860 million chickens a produced a year, giving 1.3 million tonnes of poultry meat
? There are 17 million turkeys reared in Britain producing 185,000 tonnes of meat
? There are 19 million ducks reared producing 44,000 tonnes of meat
? About 100,000 geese are reared for the Christmas market East Anglia accounts for a third of the UK poultry production
? There are 1,200 poultry farmers and 25 million birds of which 5 million are turkeys in the restricted area of Suffolk and parts of Norfolk
? In the six-mile surveillance zone there are 90 poultry keepers with 3 million birds
? The incubation period for avian flu in turkeys is three to five days though it can be five to seven days in other species
? The survival rate of the virus in faeces can vary from days to week depending on termperature and humidity
? Culled or Condemned (awaiting slaughter) are 27,000 turkeys, 1,200 ducks and 500 geese
Source: British Poultry Council, Defra

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2879871.ece

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11150703/H5N1_Suffolk_Tracing.html

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Update 18:00 15 November
Defra has today made available general licences to address immediate issues relating to the movement of bird by-products and mammals in the zones in place for Avian Influenza.
The national ban on bird gatherings and movement restrictions in the zones remain firmly in place. It is essential that poultry keepers are vigilant in checking their birds and report signs of notifiable disease immediately.
Also today, the decision has been taken to reclassify the cull at one of the four dangerous contacts premises identified yesterday to a slaughter on suspicion of Avian Influenza. Samples have been taken for laboratory testing.
A full epidemiological investigation is underway and all avenues into the origin of this outbreak are being investigated. Surveillance of poultry premises is underway, surveillance of wild birds has been increased in Norfolk and Suffolk and the national targeted wild bird surveillance programme is ongoing.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2007/animal-1112.htm

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Ref: 424/07
Date: 15 November 2007

Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR
Out of hours telephone 020 7270 8960


H5N1 Avian Influenza update

Defra has today made available general licences to address immediate issues relating to the movement of bird by-products and mammals in the zones in place for Avian Influenza.
Bird by-products may now be moved freely between zones and to the unrestricted parts of the country. Mammals may move direct to or from premises where poultry or other captive birds are kept in the Protection or Surveillance Zones. Movements of hatching eggs may also be permitted under specific licence available from Animal Health.
All movements are subject to strict adherence to licence conditions, including biosecurity measures. The national ban on bird gatherings and movement restrictions in the zones remain firmly in place. It is essential that poultry keepers are vigilant in checking their birds and report signs of notifiable disease immediately.
Also today, the decision has been taken to reclassify the cull at one of the four dangerous contacts premises identified yesterday to a slaughter on suspicion of Avian Influenza.
During preparation for the cull at this premises, which is in the existing Protection Zone, avian notifiable disease could not be ruled out. Samples have been taken for laboratory testing. There is no timetable for when these results will be received.
The strain of Avian Influenza present at the Infected Premises near Diss is similar to that found in Germany, France and the Czech Republic during the summer. A full epidemiological investigation is underway and all avenues into the origin of this outbreak are being investigated. Surveillance of poultry premises in the Protection Zone is underway, surveillance of wild birds has been increased in Norfolk and Suffolk and the national targeted wild bird surveillance programme is ongoing.
Further information

1. The Defra Helpline (08459 33 55 77) is currently open 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday for calls relating to Avian Influenza. Poultry keepers can also call the Animal Health recorded information line for the latest updates, on 0844 884 4600.
2. The details on the measures that apply in the current zones can be found on the Defra website at www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/latest-situation/index.htm

End
Public enquiries: 08459 335577
News releases available on our website:
www.defra.gov.uk
Defra's aim is sustainable development

http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/071115d.htm

HenryN · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="80%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom><BIG>0430 TEST RESULTS ON CULLED BIRDS DUE</BIG></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Test results on dead turkeys taken from a farm close to the initial centre of the Suffolk bird flu outbreak are due in, as a wider cull of thousands of animals continues.
Turkeys at Grove Farm, near Botesdale, were being slaughtered on suspicion of having the disease after dozens of birds were found dead.
Positive tests will show the deadly H5N1 virus had spread from the original source at Redgrave Park Farm, which was discovered on Sunday.
Animals at three neighbouring farms were also being killed in a precautionary cull.
The three farms are outside the 10km (six-mile) surveillance zone but within the restricted zone which covers Suffolk and most of Norfolk. In all, nearly 30,000 birds will have been gassed by the end of the day.
The same staff work at all five sites, which are owned by Redgrave Poultry, and Defra feared they might have accidentally passed on the virus.
They are Stone House Farm in West Harling, Norfolk; Bridge Farm in Pulham, Norfolk; and Hill Meadow in Knettishall, Suffolk.
Chris Kaufman, Unite's national officer for food and agriculture, said the most pressing concern was to isolate and then contain the outbreak.
"The authorities learnt a great deal from the Bernard Matthews outbreak so should swing into action like a well-oiled machine to try to limit the effects of this latest outbreak."
A Defra spokeswoman said about 30 birds at Grove Farm had been discovered dead by veterinary officials, prompting the cull to be reclassified as a "slaughter on suspicion" of disease.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2601024.html?menu=news.topheadlines

AlaskaDenise · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

niman said:
Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11150703/H5N1_Suffolk_Tracing.html

Commentary

H5N1 Tracing To Suffolk England
Recombinomics Commentary
November 15, 2007

Scientists are working on the theory that the virus is related to an outbreak of bird flu in domestic poultry in Germany and the Czech Republic earlier this year, suggesting it may have been spread by migrating birds ? a claim hotly denied by the RSPB, which said there was no evidence of the disease in the wild populations currently in the UK.

The above comments reflect many media reports on the genetic composition of the H5N1 in Suffolk, as well as denials by wildlife conservation groups on the presence of H5N1 in wild birds in the UK. Therefore, a review of the genetics and surveillance of the H5N1 is useful.

The H5N1 is the Qinghai (clade 2.2) strain that was first reported at Qinghai Lake in May, 2005. Although this strain was the broadly defined ?Asian? strain that was first reported in 1996 in a goose in Guangdong Province, it had a number of markers in each of its eight gene segments which distinguished it from earlier isolates. These changes included the novel HA cleavage site of GERRRKKR (instead of the more common RERRRKKR), and a change in the PB2 gene (E627K), which had never been previously found H5N1 in from birds. The E627K change was of concern, because that change was in all human influenza A isolates, dating back to the 1918 pandemic. The change was associated with optimal replication at 34C in contrast to the avian form, which generated optimal replication at 41C, the body temperature of birds. The change was also associated with increased virulence in mammals, which have a body temperature of 37C, with temperatures lower in the nose and throat, especially during the winter when human influenza infections peak.

Initially, there was thought that the lethality of the H5N1 at Qinghai Lake might lead top the virus burning itself out. However, in the summer of 2005 H5N1 was reported at Chany Lake in Novosibirsk, Siberia where H5N1 had not been reported previously. Sequence analysis showed that the H5N1 was the Qinghai strain, and detection of the strain in a health great crested grebe demonstrated that it could be carried in asymptomatic wild birds. In addition to the wild birds, H5N1 was found at farms surrounding the lake, as well as farms across the border in Kazakhstan.

Shortly thereafter H5N1 was also reported in wild birds at Erhel Lake on Mongolia. In both instances H5N1 had not been reported previously and the sequences from the isolates showed that they were the Qinghai strain. In Mongolia, wildlife conservationists helped collect samples, and although samples from dead birds were positive, samples from live birds were not. The detection failures in the live birds were used by the conservation groups to predict that the H5N1 would not spread.

However, the H5N1 had already spread from Qinghai Lake in central China to Chany Lake in Russia and Erhel Lake in Mongolia. These locations, like Qinghai Lake, were located at the intersection of major wild bird flyways. Moreover, testing of hunter killed birds in Siberia identified over 25 wild bird species that were infected with Qinghai H5N1. Thus, spread to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa was anticipated, as birds flew south from summer locations in Siberia and Mongolia.

These concerns were realized in the fall of 2005 when H5N1 was reported in the Volga Delta and Danube Delta. Moreover, H5 was detected in a healthy teal in the Nile Delta in December, 2005. Although the virus wasn?t isolated, repeated extractions of the sample led to HA and NA sequences, which were Qinghai and most closely related to H5N1 that was subsequently isolated in Austria. Although detection of H5N1 west of China in 2005 was limited, all countries with H5N1 were detecting the ?Asian? stain for the first time, and all were then Qinghai strain.

After fatal infections in Turkey were confirmed in early 2006, additional human cases were reported in Iraq, Azerbaijan, Egypt, and Djibouti. All infections were Qinghai H5N1 as were bird outbreaks throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In many countries all positives were in wild birds, but only dead or dying wild birds were positive. The failure to detect H5N1 in live birds raised serious surveillance issues.

Many of the positives were sequenced and the isolates had a number of regional markers that allowed the Qinghai strain to be grouped into sub-clades. In the spring/summer of 2006 H5N1 was again found in Qinghai province, but there was also a massive outbreak at the Siberia/Mongolia border near Tyva. This outbreak rivaled the Qinghai outbreak and H5N1 was isolated from grebes, swans, and golden eyes.

In the fall of 2006 and early 2007 the reporting of H5N1 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa was less frequent as were the number of human cases, which were limited to Egypt and Nigeria. In Egypt the more recent isolates had the Egyptian regional markers from the preceding season, but the sequences were more complex. In Europe H5N1 was found in Hungary followed by England. The sequences between the outbreaks in Hungary and England were 99.96% identical. Although Qinghai isolates usually have identities higher than 99%, the 99.96% raised the possibility that the outbreak in England was linked to the outbreak in Hungary. This possibility was supported by the linkage of the same turkey producer to both locations and the shipment of product from Hungary to England.

However, this was the exception that proves the rule because other outbreaks were similar (99% identity) but the similarity did not reach 99.94% because wild birds are infected with various Qinghai strains with specific regional markers.

In the summer of 2007 outbreaks were reported in the Czech Republic and Germany. The initial outbreak in the Czech Republic was in domestic poultry, but a virtually identical sequence was found in a wild bird, suggesting the poultry outbreak was linked to wild birds.

In Germany, the initial positives were in wild birds and were widespread. The first positives were in Nuremberg, but that was followed by outbreaks in Saxony, Thuringia, and Saxony Anhalt. Although all of these sequences were most closely related to the 2006 outbreak in Tyva/Mongolia, each location had a slightly different sequence, as expected from wild bird isolates. Eventually H5N1 was also detected in a farm in Bavaria and further testing of farms that were commercially linked found H5N1 antibodies in asymptomatic ducks.

Thus, the sequence data supported multiple introductions by wild birds with H5N1 that was closely related to the earlier Tyva/Mongolia outbreak, but there were consistent differences between isolates from different locations in Germany.

The outbreaks in the Czech Republic, Germany, and France were followed by an outbreak in domestic poultry in Krasnodar. Full sequences from that outbreak have been made public, and those sequences are also most closely related to the public sequences from Tyva/Mongolia, and based on descriptions from sequencing agencies in Germany and England, would also be closely related to sequences in the Czech Republic, Germany, and England.

Therefore, introductions by wild birds in England would generate sequences that were similar to the Krasnodar sequence, but the identity would not be in the greater than 99.9% range.

Release of the sequences in Suffolk would be useful.

.

AlaskaDenise · Nov 15, 2007

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

<CENTER>Bird by-products and mammals able to be moved</CENTER><CENTER></CENTER>
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width=120 align=right bgColor=white border=1><TBODY><TR><TD>

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>16 November 2007 -- General licences allowing movement of bird by-products and mammals in the zones affected by Bird Flu were issued yesterday by Defra.

The national ban on bird gatherings and movement restrictions in the zones remain firmly in place.

Defra said: "It is essential that poultry keepers are vigilant in checking their birds and report signs of notifiable disease immediately."

Also yesterday, the decision was made to reclassify the cull at one of the four dangerous contacts premises identified yesterday to a "slaughter on suspicion" of Avian Influenza. Samples have been taken for laboratory testing.

A full epidemiological investigation is underway and all avenues into the origin of this outbreak are being investigated. Surveillance of poultry premises is underway, surveillance of wild birds has been increased in Norfolk and Suffolk and the national targeted wild bird surveillance programme is ongoing.

.

Bird flu (H5N1) in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

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