Bird flu confirmed on UK poultry farm

Chickens on a farm near Banbury, Oxfordshire, have tested positive for the H7 strain of bird flu, confirms the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

All the birds on the infected farm are to be slaughtered as a precaution after the avian flu virus was confirmed by chief veterinary officer Nigel Gibbens. Further testing and a detailed epidemiological investigation will be conducted to better understand the origin and development of the disease.

Inside the 10 km temporary control zone around the farm, all birds must be housed to keep them away from contact wild birds within a 3 km radius.

"I would stress the need for poultry keepers to be extremely vigilant, practice the highest levels of biosecurity and report any suspicions of disease to their local Animal Health Office immediately," said Gibbens.

All poultry keepers on the GB Poultry Register are being notified, and the EU Commission has been informed.

This is the 4th case of the H7 strain in the UK - there have been 3 outbreaks of the mild version in Norfolk, North Wales and Merseyside since May 2006.

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