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

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, november 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, november 12 +

AlaskaDenise said:
Good maps in this article.....


Xmas turkeys hit by bird flu




<!-- calling either author module or display by line -->
By JOHN TROUP
<!-- NB: This is a variation of M002 without an image or author--><!-- The entire DIV surrounding the image has been removed --><!-- The first two paragraphs with class author have been removed --><!-- BEGIN: M002 Author Details v2 -->Published: Today



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<!-- END: m003 Rig Teaser --><!-- BEGIN: Module - Main Article --><!--Display article with page breaks --><ROOTTAG>FIVE thousand Christmas birds were being slaughtered last night after an outbreak of avian flu among turkeys.

Tests showed the turkeys, on a farm in Suffolk, had the H5 strain of the disease.

snn1306gx1_384_388419a.jpg
Map ... infected zone





It was not known if they were suffering from the virulent H5N1 form, which can kill humans.


A two-mile protection zone and six-mile surveillance zone were set up around the free range farm – Redgrave Park Farm near Diss – to stop the bug spreading.


It is just 20 miles to the west of the Bernard Matthews farm hit by bird flu in February.




Bird movements were yesterday restricted within the zones.

snn1306b2g180_388361a.jpg
Cull ... 159,000 turkeys
were killed in February




Ducks and geese were also culled at the farm, which raises poultry for Gressingham Foods.

They supply supermarkets including Sainsbury, Budgen and Somerfield.
Deputy chief veterinary officer Fred Landeg said the source of the new outbreak is unknown.

He added: “We ask every poultry keeper to be vigilant . . . and report any signs of disease.”


<IMG title="Guard ... cops on


watch last night" alt="Guard ... cops on


watch last night" src="http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00388/snn1306a2g180_388362a.jpg" border=0> Guard ... cops on
watch last night






He added movements of birds, people and vehicles on and off the farm were being studied to try to establish if the bird flu was brought in – or if it could have spread.

He also stressed there was no risk from eating properly cooked poultry or eggs.


Last night shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth said the outbreak was “another nightmare” for the farming community.

He added: “Farmers have endured so much and the last thing they need is an outbreak of bird flu in the run-up to Christmas.”

Charles Bourns, chairman of the NFU’s poultry board, said: “We’ve proved from the last two years that bird flu can be held on the one farm so hopefully that can be done this time.”

He said the cull would not hit supplies, with 10million turkeys available.

Experts last night discounted possible links to the Bernard Matthews farm at Holton, Suffolk, where 159,000 turkeys were culled.



A PLANNED pay strike by Bernard Matthews staff was called off last night.
Union Unite agreed to scrap the action – due to start with a one-day stoppage on Thursday.
The company, which employs 3,500 across East Anglia, had threatened to serve an injunction against the union.
Members are protesting against a two per cent pay award.
.
Click to expand...
Based on the location of the epicenter of the exclusion zone, I suspect this is the farm (note adjacent large ornamental lake)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...52.353681,1.018832&spn=0.005885,0.019999&z=16
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, november 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, november 12 +

"So how does one cook a Christmas turkey without close contact?"

You can cook them, but it's time to training yours bio-protective measures:
- don't touch the meat plastic envelope when you buy it from a bucher
- put on your rubber ("one-time use") gloves, medical mask ("one-time use"), and your glasses on, before you extract the meat, than clean the meat, prepare it, and put in into the oven.
- than, sterilize the whole utensils used for meat preparation with max. degree hot vater, and after clean it with a detersive
- in the meantime watch your extracted, roast (disect it) turkey, and look if it was enaugh roast (no signs of liquid, or blood, the meat must NOT be red, or rose)
- then you can distribute the turkey at the table for a meal
(if you have the appetite)

Because the pharms are closed, and ventilated through a grid, why this infection of turkeys:

- are this a consequence of an imported contaged little turkey chicks stock?
- if not, saw we now another time the disgusted policy of selling infected (meat mixed) turkey (and chicken) food through the world - like for a "it will not happen" situation with a cow (meat mix) feeding, which (historicaly proved) gain to a "mad cow" disease?
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Tests on birds after flu outbreak
Tests are being carried out on a farm in Suffolk after turkeys there were found to have avian flu.

The H5 strain was discovered at Redgrave Park Farm near Diss, where all 6,500 birds will be slaughtered, government officials have announced.
A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone have been set up.
Government vets could not yet confirm if the birds had the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, and the farm said it was co-operating fully with Defra.


Police officers have been seen at the entrance to the farm, and vehicles are being sprayed with a jet hose.
A statement issued by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said that preliminary tests showed the turkeys had the H5 strain of bird flu.

<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=fact><!--Smva-->Obviously this is another huge blow to the farming industry, which is still dealing with the effects of bluetongue and foot and mouth
<!--Emva--><!--Smva-->National Farmers' Union president <!--Emva--><!--So-->
<!--Eo--><!--Smiiib--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

It is not yet known whether it is H5N1, which has killed some 200 people worldwide.
All birds are being slaughtered at the premises, and Defra said it was consulting on what further measures may be needed.
It is expected that all the birds will be gassed and then put in sealed containers, officials said.
The birds include approximately 5,000 turkeys, 1,000 ducks and 500 geese, a Defra spokeswoman added.
A statement from the farm said: "We have and continue to fully co-operate with Defra and all the relevant authorities during this period.
"Sixty turkeys out of a flock of 1,000 from one house on the site were found dead. The site was immediately isolated and additional bio-security measures imposed."
Geoffrey Buchanan, operations director of Redgrave Poultry, which rents the farm, said that all employees at the site had been given antiviral drugs as a precaution.
He added that all the birds on the site were now indoors, and that he hoped this would be a contained outbreak.
Laboratory results
Inside the zones, bird movements will be restricted and all birds must be housed or isolated from contact with wild birds.
All poultry keepers on the British poultry register will be notified and EU officials have been informed.
National Farmers' Union president Peter Kendall said: "Obviously this is another huge blow to the farming industry, which is still dealing with the effects of bluetongue and foot-and-mouth."


Defra officials said that 10% of birds in one shed died over one night.
Susan Watts, science editor of the BBC's Newsnight, said that this would seem to suggest that the outbreak involved a highly pathogenic strain of the virus.
Acting Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg Landeg told BBC Radio Five Live that the disease was discovered on Sunday by a vet, who noticed that there had been an increasing number of deaths among turkeys in one of the five sheds on the farm.
Results on Monday morning showed that the flu was of the H5 type - but more tests were needed to ascertain whether it is the dangerous variant.
He said that the risk of bird flu spreading was increased during the autumn months because of wild bird migration.
Mr Landeg confirmed that the affected birds were free-range - meaning they had access to the outdoors and may have been of greater risk of catching the disease.
Small proportion
A statement released on behalf of poultry producer Bernard Matthews said the affected farm was not owned by the company, and none of the firm's farms fell within the exclusion zone.
More than 160,000 birds were killed after an outbreak of the virulent H5N1 strain of the disease at a Bernard Matthews turkey farm in Suffolk in February.
The Food Standards Agency reassured consumers that there was no threat to human health so long as eggs and poultry were properly cooked.
And National Farmers' Union poultry board chairman Charles Bourns insisted that turkey supply over Christmas would not be affected.
He added that the cull accounted for only a small proportion of the 10 million festive turkeys sold each year.


Are you in this area? Are you a farmer who is concerned about the latest outbreak? Has your livestock been affected by bird flu? Send us your reactions.


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Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/7092057.stm


Published: 2007/11/13 08:31:17 GMT
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

niman said:
Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11130701/H5N1_Norfolk_Expected.html
Click to expand...
Commentary

Qinghai H5N1 Expected in Norfolk England
Recombinomics Commentary
November 13, 2007

Geoffrey Buchanan, operations director of Redgrave Poultry, which rents the farm, said that all employees at the site had been given antiviral drugs as a precaution.

He added that all the birds on the site were now indoors,

Defra officials said that 10% of birds in one shed died over one night.
Susan Watts, science editor of the BBC's Newsnight, said that this would seem to suggest that the outbreak involved a highly pathogenic strain of the virus.

The above detail supports H5N1 infections of the turkeys at the farm at Redgrave Park near Diss in Norfolk, England. One of the hallmarks of highly pathogenic H5N1 is rapid death, which is consistent with the deaths of 10% of the population in the shed in one night. Use of anti-virals for employees is usually reserved for highly pathogenic avian influenza. Moreover, the public warnings included a description of symptoms that matched HPAI H5N1.

Wild birds are implicated because the domestic birds were free range and the farm is adjacent to a large ornamental lake (see satellite map). Moreover, the farm had not received any new birds in the past four weeks.

Although H5N1 has been reported in Great Britain previously, if confirmed this would be the first report of H5N1 in free range domestic poultry. Although the H5 infection was discovered early, the suspected linkage to wild birds raises additional surveillance issues.

Like the H7N2 infections this year, and the H7N3 infections last year, the source of these infections is likely to be infected wild birds which have not been detected by the surveillance system.

Surveillance failures were also suggested during outbreaks throughout Europe in early 2006, as well as a large outbreak in Germany during the summer of 2007, Although H5N1 was widely detected in dead or dying wild birds, it was not detected in asymptomatic wild birds.

The deaths of domestic birds in Germany led to antibody testing in farms that were commercially linked, and H5N1 antibodies were detected. These antibodies in healthy birds signaled asymptomatic infections and recovery in the absence of earlier detection.

The antibodies in asymptomatic waterfowl as well as H5N1 RNA and virus in dead or dying wild and domestic birds, raises serious questions about surveillance programs designed to detect H5N1 in domestic or wild bird populations.

The outbreak in England is likely to be linked to Qinghai H5N1, and additional outbreaks in the region are expected.


.
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, november 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, november 12 +

tropical said:
"So how does one cook a Christmas turkey without close contact?"

You can cook them, but it's time to training yours bio-protective measures:
- don't touch the meat plastic envelope when you buy it from a bucher
- put on your rubber ("one-time use") gloves, medical mask ("one-time use"), and your glasses on, before you extract the meat, than clean the meat, prepare it, and put in into the oven.
- than, sterilize the whole utensils used for meat preparation with max. degree hot vater, and after clean it with a detersive
- in the meantime watch your extracted, roast (disect it) turkey, and look if it was enaugh roast (no signs of liquid, or blood, the meat must NOT be red, or rose)
- then you can distribute the turkey at the table for a meal
(if you have the appetite)

Because the pharms are closed, and ventilated through a grid, why this infection of turkeys:

- are this a consequence of an imported contaged little turkey chicks stock?
- if not, saw we now another time the disgusted policy of selling infected (meat mixed) turkey (and chicken) food through the world - like for a "it will not happen" situation with a cow (meat mix) feeding, which (historicaly proved) gain to a "mad cow" disease?
Click to expand...

I was thinking along the lines of impaling the turkey on a fencepost & using a flamethrower! :D

If they could produce a turkey with seasoning & basting oils incorporated in an edible wrapping & we cooked any stuffing separately, then we would never have to touch the uncooked turkey. :)

It's been done with vegetables - who knows, in an H5N1-endemic world, the concept may become a necessity. ;)

.
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

New bird flu restrictions in place in Norfolk and Suffolk

News | 13 November, 2007
By Alistair Driver
NEW restrictions are being put in place across the whole of Suffolk and much of Norfolk in response to the outbreak of avian flu in turkeys near Diss.

Poultry farmers in the new Restricted Zone are required to isolate their poultry from wild birds. Movements within the zone can take place, but movements out of it are not permitted.
Defra said it was planning to make general licences available for low risk movements out of the zone shortly.
In addition, the national general licence permitting bird gatherings in England has been revoked, and bird shows and pigeon racing will not be permitted for the time being. These restrictions come on top of the 3 km Protection Zone and 10 km Surveillance Zone set around the infected premises, which lies in Suffolk, just inside the border with Norfolk.


No movements of poultry are permitted at present in the 3km and 10km zones around the infected premises.
Defra said the wider restrictions were being put in place as a ?precaution while the results of further laboratory tests and investigations into the outbreak are awaited?.
Initial tests have confirmed the presence of the H5 avian flu on the farm. Test results are expected today (Tuesday, November 13) that will reveal whether the strain is the deadly H5N1. The restrictions may be adjusted as further information becomes available, the Department said.

http://www.farmersguardian.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=14305&c=1
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

"Wild birds are implicated because the domestic birds were free range and the farm is adjacent to a large ornamental lake (see satellite map). Moreover, the farm had not received any new birds in the past four weeks."

Now the situation is clear, the wild birds ARE the vector, but the failure are human:
how is this surveilance matter conducted when no compulsory decret to closed all domestic birds indoor is not previously released to all pharms in the country when it was obvious that many viral strains circulate?
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Reassurance over Christmas turkeys

FARMERS have moved to reassure consumers that a cull of turkeys would not lead to shortages of birds at Christmas.

Charles Bourns, chairman of the National Farmers' Union's poultry board, said about 10million turkeys were eaten over the Christmas holiday.

He said the slaughter of 5,000 turkeys at the poultry unit at Redgrave Park Farm, near Diss, was a tiny fraction of the birds bought for the festive table.

The slaughter by Defra to contain the latest case of bird or avian flu follows recent warnings that turkeys will be more expensive this year due to soaring feed costs.

Mr Bourns said the compulsory cull should not have a noticeable impact on shoppers.

?It is a worry for farmers in the area but consumers have always carried on eating turkeys and chickens quite happily. I would have thought they would be more relaxed this time than they were last time,? he said.

?It is obviously of concern but as long as it stays on the one farm like it has done in previous outbreaks we will just have to ride it through for the next few weeks.?

World wheat prices have doubled this year, which in turn pushed up the cost of turkey feed, British Poultry Council chief executive Peter Bradnock said last week.

This could mean higher shop shelf prices unless retailers or producers cushion the blow.

Feed accounts for half the cost of producing an oven-ready bird. Wheat makes up about 65% of turkey feed.

Between eight and 10million turkeys are sold in the UK during the festive season - about half the amount sold annually.

.
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Britain begins bird flu cull, awaits strain tests

Tue 13 Nov 2007, 11:38 GMT
<INPUT id=CurrentSize type=hidden value=13 name=CurrentSize>
[-] Text [+]

By Peter Apps
LONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Officials began slaughtering thousands of turkeys on Tuesday after finding bird flu at a farm in eastern England, with scientists carrying out urgent tests to see if it was the dangerous H5N1 strain.
Britain has already seen one H5N1 outbreak this year at another turkey farm and troubled livestock farmers have had to deal with both foot and mouth disease -- now believed to be over -- and an outbreak of bluetongue disease, again in eastern England.
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said the preliminary results from the farm on the border of Norfolk and Suffolk were positive for the H5 strain but did not yet know if it was H5N1, which has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003.
"We are still awaiting the results of what strain it is," said a DEFRA spokeswoman. "That will come through in the course of the day. The cull will start today. We don't want to run a running commentary on it but we will confirm when it is complete."
Millions of birds have died from H5N1 across Asia, Europe and Africa or have been slaughtered to prevent its spread, with fears the virus could spark a global pandemic if it mutated to spread easily between humans.
Gressingham Foods, the company that owned the farm, said all staff had been offered flu vaccinations as a precautionary step. The firm said it alerted officials after 60 of the 6,000 birds on the farm were found dead on Sunday.
DEFRA said it had increased surveillance of neighbouring farms and limited bird movement. The area is the centre of much of Britain's poultry and turkey industry, which is gearing up for the busiest period of the year in the run-up to Christmas.
Previous outbreaks worldwide have been blamed on migratory birds or contaminated feed. Scientists said the virus had been found in birds in the Czech Republic, France and Germany in recent months so its spread to Britain was not entirely surprising. There have been no human cases in Europe since outbreaks in Turkey and Azerbaijan in early 2006.
Officials say a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak linked to a government lab in southern England now seems over, but farmers are still hoping for a cold winter to kill the midges who are spreading bluetongue through cattle and sheep in England's east.
(Editing by Chris Johnson)

http://africa.reuters.com/commodities/news/usnL13554500.html
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

The RSPB's Andre Farrar warned against jumping to the conclusion that the disease had spread to poultry from wild birds.

The autumn migration was largely over, and no wild birds had been found with avian flu in Europe since late August/early September, he added






i presume it sproutted legs and walked there then.......?.




http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news...gory=news&itemid=NOED12 Nov 2007 22:19:35:177
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

"i presume it sproutted legs and walked there then.......?."

Well said vinny ;) ,

than if the "large ornamental lake" doesn't cary deadly germs from ducks, we have another time the embarassment of choosing the inf. vector:

- some "non-aware of bio-security measures" human being walked there
- another lab accident
- contaminated feed
- ... "X files"
...

_____
Britain has already seen one H5N1 outbreak this year at another turkey farm and troubled livestock farmers have had to deal with both foot and mouth disease -- now believed to be over -- and an outbreak of bluetongue disease, again in eastern England.
_____
Gressingham Foods, the company that owned the farm, said all staff had been offered flu vaccinations as a precautionary step. (?!?)prepand.? :confused:
_____
Previous outbreaks worldwide have been blamed on migratory birds or contaminated feed. Scientists said the virus had been found in birds in the Czech Republic, France and Germany in recent months so its spread to Britain was not entirely surprising.
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Infected turkeys 'have deadly avian flu strain'



<!-- END: Module - Main Heading --><!--CMA user Call Diffrenet Variation Of Image --><!-- BEGIN: Module - M24 Article Headline with no image (a) --><!-- getting the section url from article. This has been done so that correct url isgenerated if we are coming from a section or topic --><!-- Print Author name associated with the article --><!-- Print Author name from By Line associated with the article -->Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor of The Times


<!-- END: Module - M24 Article Headline with no image --><!-- Article Copy module --><!-- BEGIN: Module - Main Article --><!-- Check the Article Type and display accordingly--><!-- Print Author image associated with the Author--><!-- Print the body of the article--><!-- Pagination --><!--Display article with page breaks -->Initial tests at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency suggest that free-range turkeys on a Suffolk farm are infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu which is potentially dangerous to humans.
Official confirmation about the strain is expected shortly in a statement from Fred Landeg, acting Government chief veterinary officer.
The move will send shockwaves to the poultry industry in East Anglia where millions of birds are being reared for Christmas.
Government orders have already gone out for all free-range birds for meat and eggs in Suffolk and part of Norfolk to be locked indoors to protect them from the fatal virus.
<!-- BEGIN: POLL --><!-- END : POLL --><!-- BEGIN: DEBATE--><!-- END: DEBATE-->

<!-- END: Module - M63 - Article Related Attachements --><!-- Call Wide Article Attachment Module --><!--TEMPLATE:call file="wideArticleAttachment.jsp" /-->Hobby farmers with backyard flocks are also being visited by local animal health officers urging them to keep birds inside.
This is the first outbreak of the deadly virus in the UK since February when the disease was found in turkey chicks at the Bernard Matthews plant, in Holton, also in Suffolk.
The infected turkeys were being reared outdoors at Redgrave Park Farm, Redgrave, outside Diss, on the Suffolk-Norfolk border, for Gressingham Foods for the Christmas market.
Five male poultry workers at the farm have already been treated with Tamiflu the anti-viral treatment to combat avian flu. They are all employed by Gressingham Foods.
The news of the deadly strain of the virus has been taken calmly by staff, said Geoffrey Buchanan, a spokesman for the company, who with his brother, William, runs the farm. They were not personally in contact with the birds.
Since 2003, more than 300 people have become infected with the deadly virus, and more than half have died.
The Buchanans are now anxiously working with state vets to find out how the virus arrived at the premises. Wild birds are thought to be the most likely route for transmission of the disease especially as wild swans and ducks regularly gather at the farm. There is also a lake within a mile from the family which is another favourite gathering place for birds.
Ornithological experts are working with epidemiological veterinarians to find out the species most likely to have carried the virus to Britain and the possible flight paths from the continent.

But experts are also checking every possible route of the virus including movements of vehicles, staff and birds to the farm and any possible link to recent cases this autumn in southern Germany.
Tests on other wild birds are also being stepped up to see if the virus is circulating in the bird population. To date, however, there has not been one positive test for avian flu on birds in the UK even though sampling increased at the end of the summer to coincide with the return migration of birds to the UK for the winter.
The most recent H5N1 avian flu outbreak this year was near Munich in September. Some 300,000 ducks were slaughtered at poultry farms after the disease was found in frozen products.
The eight-week-old bronze turkeys at Redgrave Park Farm were destined for upmarket restaurants and some go to Waitrose. TV chefs Delia Smith, Gordon Ramsay and Antony Worrall Thompson are “fans” of the birds, according to the company website.

<!-- BEGIN: POLL --><!-- END : POLL --><!-- BEGIN: DEBATE--><!-- END: DEBATE-->

<!-- END: Module - M63 - Article Related Attachements --><!-- Call Wide Article Attachment Module --><!--TEMPLATE:call file="wideArticleAttachment.jsp" /-->A cull of more than 6,000 birds is to start as quickly as possible but there are logistical problems associated with this farm. A Whitehall source said: “The conditions on site are very challenging.”
There is no electricity and only one tap. Vets, animal health workers and slaughtermen have to shower and change clothing before and after contact with the birds.
Generators, mobile showers and lavatory blocks, protective kits as well as the mobilised gas containers for the humane slaughter of the birds are currently being requisitioned and deployed to the site.
The culling operation was over within 48 hours at the Bernard Matthews plant because the firm has its own abattoir facility at the processing plant that was adjacent to the rearing shed for the turkey chicks.
The alarm was raised at the farm on Sunday when 60 birds in a flock of 1,000 birds were found dead. The high mortality rate aroused the suspicions of the company vet, Daniel Parker, one of the leading poultry vets in the country, who immediately believed he was dealing with avian flu and most likely the H5N1 strain.
Some 5,000 turkeys, 1,200 ducks and 400 geese are to be slaughtered.
Charles Bourns, chairman of the National Farmers’ Union poultry board, said: “Everything I am hearing suggests it is H5N1. It is the end of the migration season and there may have been a rogue infected bird but it could be something else. It is certainly worrying for farmers in East Anglia and there are many more birds being reared outside this year because Bernard Matthews has also decided to move into free-range.”
He said:”It may be the Government may have to look more thoroughly about getting free-range birds indoors at the high riks periods for the flu virus.”
He was confident however the outbreak would not affect the birds for the festive season. Some 10 million birds are eaten at Christmas in the UK and of that number some 1.5 million only are traditional free-range fresh turkeys.
“There is no reason for people to panic,” he said.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2863449.ece?token=null&offset=12
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

"... there are many more birds being reared outside this year because Bernard Matthews has also decided to move into free-range.?
He said:?It may be the Government may have to look more thoroughly about getting free-range birds indoors at the high riks periods for the flu virus."
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Scenes of devastation as vets cull 5,000 turkeys after bird blue outbreak

12.11.07
Add your view

Thousands of turkeys, geese and ducks are being slaughtered after bird flu was found at a farm in Norfolk.
Emergency protection zones were immediately set up around the site of the outbreak.
If the disease spreads it is feared it could devastate the industry in the run-up to Christmas.
Scroll down for more...

FluALB_468x311.jpg
Carnage: Dead turkeys at the farm


Tests have confirmed that a turkey at the farm in Redgrave near Diss had died from the H5 strain of bird flu.
Further tests are expected to reveal whether it had the especially dangerous H5N1 subtype which has killed millions of birds worldwide.
The farm is operated by Gressingham Foods, whose operations director Geoffrey Buchanan said: "We believe the outbreak has been contained and that the measures are in place to allow us to continue to serve our customers.
"Turkey meat continues to be safe to eat."
Scroll down for more ...
turkey2R1311_468x300.jpg
Outbreak: Turkeys are disposed of

turkeyR1311_468x333.jpg
Scenes of death: The dead turkeys are moved


He said no Gressingham ducks - favoured by chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Delia Smith and Gary Rhodes - were reared at the site.
Neighbouring farmers have spoken of their fears that the disease could spread.
Eddie Heggarty, who owns a poultry business in Pulham Market, said: "I've had to move all my birds indoors. We have only 60 for Christmas, but obviously it's a worry."

Scroll down for more...</STRONG< p>
turkeyfarmDM1211_468x303.jpg
Precautions: A car is disinfected at the entrance to the farm


The disease has struck a rearing unit where 5,000 turkeys, 1,000 ducks and 500 geese are being prepared for Christmas.
Movement of live birds is restricted within a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone.
There are fears that the outbreak could exacerbate an expected shortage of turkeys for Christmas. Last week, the industry warned that soaring feed costs could add ?5 to the shop price of a typical bird.
Dr Fred Landeg, the deputy chief vet, stressed that there was no risk to humans from eating poultry meat and eggs as long as they were cooked properly.
He added: "It is very difficult to transmit avian influenza from birds to human beings. There has to be fairly close contact with the birds and with their faeces.
"We will be looking at the movements on to the premises and off the premises of birds and movements of people, vehicles and things, to see whether there is another origin somewhere in the country or whether the disease could have spread."
The disease was discovered on Sunday by a vet who noticed that there had been a growing number of turkey deaths in one of the five sheds on the Norfolk farm.
The birds were free range - meaning they had access to the outdoors and were at greater risk of exposure to the wildfowl that visit an ornamental lake next door.
Officials at Defra, the food and farming department, think this is the most likely source of the disease which is spread through saliva and droppings.
They said the farm was not linked to the Bernard Matthews site at the centre of February's avian influenza outbreak in Suffolk.
A report into that outbreak found that imported turkey meat from Hungary, and not wild birds, was the most likely source.
Andre Farrar, of the RSPB, said it was premature to assume that the disease had spread to poultry from wild birds this time.
"Last time people went on a mad whirl of speculation on how wild birds had moved the virus and it turned out not to be the case," he said.
The farm was formerly the estate of the stately home, Redgrave Park, and is now owned by Guy and Elizabeth Topham who rent out the land.
The European Union Commission has been kept informed about the situation, while all businesses on the British poultry register will be notified.
The revelation that bird flu is back is a devastating setback for farmers.
This year they have already faced outbreaks of bird flu, foot and mouth disease and bluetongue.
Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union, said: "We will be working closely with Defra to do all we can to contain and eradicate this disease as quickly as possible.
"Obviously this is another huge blow to the farming industry, which is still dealing with the effects of bluetongue and foot and mouth."
There are more than a dozen strains of bird flu in the wild. The most virulent are H5 and H7, while the H5N1 subtype is the deadliest.
Many scientists believe that H5N1 could mutate into a new, deadly form of human flu.
However, that is most likely to happen in Asia where people live in close contact with birds. The disease has killed 300 humans so far.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/...ter+bird+blue+outbreak/article.do?ito=newsnow&
 
Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Re: Bird flu in Norfolk Confirmed, November 12 +

Infected turkeys 'have deadly avian flu strain' that is dangerous to humans

12.11.07
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Initial tests suggest that free-range turkeys suffering from bird flu are infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu which is potentially dangerous to humans.
Thousands of turkeys, geese and ducks are being slaughtered after bird flu was found at a farm in Norfolk.
Emergency protection zones were immediately set up around the site of the outbreak as soon as bird flu was detected.
If the disease spreads it is feared it could devastate the industry in the run-up to Christmas........

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/...into+farming+community/article.do?ito=newsnow&
 
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